Slow Dance
by NoctIsFishing
Summary: [COMPLETE] Mimi captures Tai's heart even though Sora still yearns for it. As Sora goes through her last year of high school with her heart in torment, Mimi falls hard for Tai and wants her heart to be his forever. M for content. POVs in Chapter titles. Mimichi and Taiora. the other Digimon Adventure kids show up at least once, some way...somehow...
1. sora & mimi I

**\+ slow dance +**

 **\+ chapter one +**

 **\+ sora + mimi +**

* * *

 _ **Summary:** Mimi starts something new with Tai, and Sora tries to adjust to it._

* * *

 **\+ sora +**

On a typical school morning for Sora, she woke up early to make breakfast for her and her mom, then walked to school and made it on time. She stopped in front of Tai's house to see if he was ready to join her; otherwise, she kept on walking and waited until he met up with her as he caught his breath. Sometimes, she ran into Matt on the way, too, and they all walked together. Then, she passed by Mimi who greeted her with a tight hug followed by whatever juicy gossip she heard going on with the students in her year.

This morning wasn't a typical one.

Sora walked past Tai's house, knowing he had already gone ahead. She still made breakfast, Matt still joined her on the way to school, and Mimi still passed by, armed and ready with her hug.

But not far off from them, standing at the lockers was Tai, talking and laughing with his soccer teammates around him. Mimi blew kisses to both Sora and Matt before parting with them and running to Tai. And, when she reached him, she had a different kiss for him, one where her lips got to touch his.

"I forgot that happened," said Matt, and instead of words of dissent, Sora refrained with a sigh, although it was something that she had to get used to as the new typical: Tai and Mimi were dating, and they were enjoying every moment of it.

* * *

Sora joined Mimi to watch Tai's soccer practice that went on throughout the afternoon. Why Sora accepted Mimi's invite was beyond her rational thinking. There was never more than a hello between her and Tai anymore, anyway.

At one point, Tai looked over at the bleachers and stared for a bit. Was it at Sora? He appeared to hesitate as he brought up his hand, then smiled as he started to wave.

"Oh, he's waving at me!" said Mimi excitedly, waving her hand which blocked Sora's view.

"It's been a few weeks, right? It must be going well between you two," said Sora, and Mimi seemed to take note of her lack of enthusiasm. She turned to her, suddenly worried.

"I'm going to ask you again, Sora, even though you've already given your approval of me and him—"

"And I'll tell you again, Mimi—my approval doesn't matter."

"It matters to me! You're my best friend."

Mimi frowned and Sora put her hands over hers.

"You and Tai have been my best friends for years. I want you both to be happy. And you two seem to really be just that right now." The longer Sora held her reassuring stare, the more relaxed Mimi appeared. Mimi grinned.

"Okay. Just don't be afraid to call me out if I ever get too carried away." Sora gave her a face.

"Always, Mimi," she said. "I know how you are." Then she took a deep breath and looked around for her bag. "Anyway, I better get going. I gotta go study for the quiz this Friday." Mimi made a gasp of disbelief as Sora stood up.

"It's only Tuesday, Sora!" Mimi said, as Sora swung her bag over her shoulder. "I'm supposed to hang out Tai after his practice—come with us!" Sora gave her a smile.

"I'll pass. I'll text you."

"Text me when you get home. I'll miss you!"

Sora smiled at Mimi as she waved goodbye. It was as Sora turned and walked down the bleachers when her smile faded, knowing that the quiz was just her stupid excuse to avoid the boldfaced lie she fed to her best friend.

* * *

 **\+ mimi +**

It wasn't like Mimi was oblivious to Sora's feelings. She gathered that Sora had her eye on Tai from that very first day at summer camp. It amazed her, amused her even, that Sora did nothing about it. Even when Mimi pushed her like a best friend would. What's more, she knew Tai felt the same way, although he never admitted it. They just played it cool, joking around and teasing each other like very good friends. Sora stayed back, adoring him from afar, and Tai, always putting her on a pedestal.

Maybe that's what drew her to him, the way he talked about Sora sometimes, the way he stared at her when she wasn't looking. Mimi flirted with and even dated a few guys over the year and a half she's been in high school, but never was she paid attention to the way Tai did to Sora.

One day, it clicked in her head to test the waters with him. Just to see what it would be like. She started with a tap on his shoulder and a high-pitched laugh when he made a mediocre joke. He smiled, confused, but went along with it. Then, it was small talk as they passed each other in the hallway between classes, and he let her touch his hair and poke his side. It got to the point after school where they would stand close near her locker, with him leaning over her, laughing amongst themselves as they spoke in low voices. Mimi let herself get caught up in this test, that it startled her when he gave her a small request:

"Mimi, go out with me," he said.

"Really?" she asked, not believing her ears, but then he flashed her his mischievous smile, a side he revealed to her as part of her test. He brought his hand to her arm with a light trace, making her bite her bottom lip.

"I think it could be fun," he said.

The water was warm after all, she thought, but then her thought was interrupted by a slam of a closing locker, and she noticed it was Sora, back turned to them as she walked away.

"I'll think about it," Mimi said, suddenly uncertain.

Sora had no qualms with it, of course, or so she said, and although Mimi was still uncertain, she still went for it.

Mimi sat atop the bleachers alone until sunset, when Tai was finished with his practice game. She headed down toward him while they finished cleaning the field, then met him with a kiss, to which he made a face.

"Oy, Mimi! At least let me freshen up a bit," he said, sweat still dripping on his face.

"You are pretty gross right now," she said, laughing at him. "Hurry, so you can take me out to dinner."

"Didn't you say Sora was coming along?" Tai looked around.

"She had to study."

"That thing's not until Friday!"

"That's what I said!" Mimi took his arm to link with hers.

"Hey, you don't think she's been avoiding me?" Mimi kept her hold on his arm.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't think we've talked to each other since you and I started going out."

Mimi pressed her lips together. Is it not that obvious, Tai? was her thought.

"Well, she'll come around!" Mimi said. "She's probably just worried about entrance exams, or something."

"You might be right."

"You shouldn't be worrying, either, Tai. You can be a bit like her."

"I guess so…" Mimi watched, suddenly paranoid that he might be thinking about her again.

"Stop it, Tai!" Mimi whined aloud. "Let's get out of here so we can have dinner!"

"Alright, alright! You're only acting like this because you know I'm paying." Mimi gasped in delight and wrapped both her arms around him.

"You are?! You're so wonderful!"

"Yeah, yeah," Tai said brushing it off, though he now had his arm behind her waist as they walked off the field.

* * *

After dinner, Tai drove Mimi to the front of her house. The porch light was off, and the lights inside were out.

"Your parents don't wait up for you?" he asked, both of them taking their seatbelts off.

"Nope! They trust that I get home safely," Mimi giggled. "They're nothing like Sora's mo—"

Mimi said nothing, but she could hear herself groan in her head. Why did she always have to bring her up?

"My mom gives Kari such a hard time when she gets home late," said Tai, and Mimi felt relieved.

"Why would your mom not trust her?"

"It's not that she doesn't trust Kari. It's just that she doesn't trust anyone else. Especially the boys."

"The boys, huh…?" Mimi tilted her head. An idea planted in her mind, and she placed her hand on his shoulder, wanting to run with it. "Tell me, Tai, what is it about the boys she doesn't trust?"

"I don't know," he said. "There could be a lot of things that could go through a guy's head when he's with a girl. Some guys can control their feelings, others have a harder time…"

"You know, the same can be said for girls." Mimi was leaning closer to him now. "Some girls, like me, have a harder time controlling themselves…"

"Mi…" She was now on top of him, their faces only a few inches from each other.

"Who said it was only the boys you couldn't trust?" she whispered, before meeting his mouth for a kiss.

Kissing Tai was her favorite part. She loved the way his lips felt on hers, a feeling mixed with gentleness but enough force to keep her attention. How his hands always started at her waist but somehow found their way on her skin beneath her top. She loved the feeling of his brown hair through her fingers, and the goosebumps she felt against his skin when she lets out a moan with pleasure.

They played it safe whenever they made out, but tonight, his hands moved to unclip her bra.

"You must be one of those guys," Mimi breathed, smiling as she sat with her legs bent on either side of his lap.

"Only if a girl is worth it," he said, his breathing heavy now, but it made Mimi look back at him in wonder.

"Do you really think so?" she asked, her face softening.

"I believe it." He smiled at her, and she could have melted on top of him right then and there.

"Tai, lean your seat back," she said suddenly.

"What for, Mimi—" His eyes widened as he caught on. "Wait, here? Now?"

"Why not? Anywhere with you, Tai." She moved to kiss him, making sure to slip her tongue in as she pressed onto him. She broke off the kiss, knowing that it left him wanting more. Obliging, he pulled the lever to lay back, and removed her top in front of him, then dropped her bra. She kept him entertained kissing his neck as she unbuttoned his jeans.

"We should go slow this time, Tai," she said, helping him take off his shirt. "This is my first time… in your car, anyway."

Tai gave her a smirk, lighting her heart on fire. Mimi never imagined being on top of Tai like this, much less in his car. They both winced as they felt each other inside her then, but as she thrust herself on him, their bodies moving together in rhythm, like a slow dance at first that picked up the pace with its rising tempo, she couldn't imagine a feeling better than this.

That was her new favorite, and that was the night she fell in love.

* * *

.

.

.

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 **Author Notes:** I just completed this fic on Ao3 and figured, why the heck not, just share it with my FFN darling readers. I might make minor edits on spelling/grammar as I import, but I don't plan on changing anything major.

This is my 2nd fic for Digimon, and where I try my hand with the bits of smut scattered throughout. The minor pairings you'll read about were sort of experimental, in a sense that I've lived in my favorite pairing's bubble for so long that I thought it would be fun to see where the story would go if I paired this character with that (not spoiling too much!)

This fic was based on a song by Paramore. Like I did on the other site, I'll reveal the song at the 2nd to last chapter.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to comment/review. Let me know what you think!


	2. sora & tai

**\+ slow dance +**

 **\+ chapter two +**

 **\+ sora + tai +**

* * *

 _ **Summary:** Sora comes to a conclusion on her feelings; Tai only runs with his._

* * *

 **\+ sora +**

Sora slammed her locker door closed Wednesday morning, only to reveal Mimi standing next to her, wearing the biggest smile.

"Wow, cheer up Mimi," came her sarcasm behind her curious expression. "You don't smile enough."

"Oh, Sora!" she said with a squeal. "I have to tell you about last night. You won't believe what happened."

"Judging by that look, I could totally tell, you probably got yourself laid."

"Mmhmm!" Mimi's eyes lit up. She looked around to make sure the other students were far enough from earshot, then leaned in closer to Sora to whisper. "We did it. In his car. Oh my _gawd_ , Sora, it was unbelievable, he's so—"

"Whoa, whoa, Mimi." Sora put her hand up with a sudden look of disgust. "Spare me the details, please."

Mimi pouted. "But you've always liked hearing the details."

Sora looked elsewhere, now showing discomfort as she moved her hand over her hair tucked behind her ear. "This is Tai we're talking about."

"Oh…" Mimi paused for a moment her face falling into a look of guilt. Sora saw this and realized she wasn't supposed to let Mimi feel this way. _Think, Sora_ , she said to herself. _What else would you press her about having sex?_

"Just…as long as you were… safe about it," Sora said, fully aware that she wasn't being as direct about it as she normally was.

Mimi still scowled. "Why do you worry about that, Sora? You know I always keep a few condoms in my purse in case the guy doesn't have them, like you do." Then she grinned, as though she remembered something. "Tai took one out first. He said he never leaves the house without carrying a few…"

Mimi was too lost in her giggling and her far off stare to notice Sora's downtrodden expression. Sora then blinked to try to re-focus the conversation.

"Seriously, Mimi, don't you think it's weird hearing about your guy friends when it comes to that kind of thing? Well, I mean, before you started to…"

Mimi gave her a weird look, then laughed.

"I guess we're just different that way, as someone who's flirted with all my guy friends. What's wrong with dating them, anyway?"

"I suppose you're right," said Sora, with a hollow laugh, hoping to end this conversation quickly. "Either way, I'm sure you're glad I didn't hang around yesterday then, huh?"

Pointing this out brought Mimi's starlit eyes back.

"You totally did this for me! I love you forever, Sora!" Mimi hugged her tight, rubbing her cheek against Sora's. "I'm so glad I have you to support me with this. Especially you."

Sora was unsure how to respond or what to say, since what she replied with was a mumble through a nervous laugh. Mimi was suddenly too distracted to notice when she let go of Sora after her phone made a sound. She squealed with delight.

"Tai texted back—Finally! I'm going to see him before class. I texted him five times this morning asking him where he was." Sora shot her a look, and Mimi stared back. "I know that look, Sora. You think I'm doing something wrong…"

"Five times is a lot, Mimi. I know you're excited, but don't go overboard." Mimi frowned.

"I'm sure he thinks it's cute!"

She was completely wrong, and Sora knew for a fact. It was hard for her to gauge whether Tai had a 'type'—each girl he had gone out with was always completely different from the one before. But, she also remembered his pet peeves very well—one of them including anyone sending him multiple texts. It was something he complained about, and she remembered him especially going off about the topic of personal space.

"I suppose so, knowing Tai," came Sora's lie. Why not let Mimi find out for herself, anyway?

"There he is!" Mimi said as she saw him at the end of the hall, running along without parting words to Sora, who watched Mimi ran further and further to him, waiting to see drama unfold when she reached the end.

To Sora's dismay, it turned out to be the complete opposite, as Mimi and Tai were now in each other's arms, faces glued together by their lips, appearing to have no care in the world that they were showcasing their public display of affection.

"Something on your mind?" Sora heard Matt's voice from behind.

"That quiz this Friday seems like it's going to be really tough," was her greeting to him—her lie she was running with. She was glad that their classroom was in the opposite direction, so that she could turn with each footstep easing her heartbreak as she walked further and further away.

Of course, there was something on her mind. Of course, that something was Tai. But, even before her response to Matt, she had already decided that her mind no longer had a place for Tai, and that she had to find a way for him to leave it.

* * *

 **\+ tai +**

It was hard not to keep Mimi off his mind.

"Hello? _Hello?_ Tai?"

Tai closed his eyes and opened them, slowly realizing there were waving arms in front of him, and they belonged to a disgruntled Joe sitting across the table.

"Ah! Ah… Joe. What happened?"

"You are not listening at all. I should have expected this when you asked me to stop by."

Tai was at home on Sunday afternoon, and he invited Joe over for advice. Knowing Joe was deep in studying at university, he figured Joe could help him figure out what he could do with his life after school.

"I'm sorry, Joe. I guess I'm finding it hard to concentrate right now."

Mimi hadn't sent him a message since that morning, when she said she was going to go shopping somewhere. If anybody knew Mimi, shopping was the one thing she gave her full devotion to every time she did it. Her focus was so intense for it, that she ignored everything else.

Since they started dating, he noticed more messages in his inbox from her. It was usually multiple messages about one thing. A lot of _"where are you?"_ , and _"I'm so excited for later"_ , as well as _"I miss you!"_

Those messages stopped for a few hours now. He couldn't help missing her, too.

His phone buzzed on the table.

"Hey, Tai, your pho—" Tai grabbed his phone immediately before Joe could finish his sentence, and read his new text from Mimi:

" _I'm so tired from shopping! I miss you. Come over later?"_

A smile curled on Tai's lips as he texted back.

"Who is it?" Joe asked. He was now looking at the unfolded newspaper in front of him, clearly given up on offering any more advice to Tai.

"It's just Mimi," Tai replied, to which Joe lowered his head and eyed Tai from over his glasses.

"Mimi?" Joe was surprised. "When did that happen?"

"It's been a month now." Tai set his phone back down, his eyes still on the screen until it went black.

"Huh. I didn't think she was your type."

Tai paused to think about that. "I guess I never did have a type."

"So you say," Joe said with a chuckle. "Just… if you're going to get any advice from me today, it's about her—Be careful." Tai looked up from his phone to Joe.

"Can you elaborate?"

"I don't know if you remember my friend she dated, he's in her year. I heard she can get really… intense. Especially when she really likes you."

"That's not a lot to go on, Joe." Tai grabbed his phone again, seeing that Mimi sent a few more messages.

"Ohh… this is bad," said Joe, seeing the number of unread messages on Tai's screen. "That's how it starts, Tai. You probably don't see it yet because you might be having fun with her being new and different. You'll want to be with her every waking moment, she's got you hooked that way. And then it'll end up that she'll _be_ with you every waking moment, even when you don't expect it at all."

Tai laughed, but only because he was reading Mimi's _"How soon can you get here?"_ text. "I should probably head out, then," Tai said to Joe. "It's always good to see you, Joe, really."

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Joe replied, sighing heavily. They both got up from the table and walked together to put their shoes on. "Maybe talking to Sora will knock some sense into you. I haven't seen her in a while. How's she doing?"

"She's good," said Tai, though, just for a moment, he wondered the same thing.

* * *

Tai drove his car over to Mimi's place, and when he met Mimi inside, they wasted no time throwing their clothes off of each other and falling into bed together. The urges he had been holding inside all day were now taking over, feeling the rush as he felt his skin against hers. Mimi giggled as she felt the warmth of his lips tickle her neck, his fingers travelling wherever he wanted them to.

It was surprising for him to be fooling around this much in a relationship. He enjoyed it, sure, though in the past he was used to his girlfriend being okay with just laying on the couch watching a movie, or even just talking about anything.

With Mimi, she was as wild as the waves in her hair. It was always like a rocket shot into the sky, exploding into fireworks every time they met. She'd want to go hang out at a loud bar, maybe go dancing at a club, or go cheer from the stands at whatever sports event their school had going – but the night always ended the same. Sometimes, it even started that way.

Not that Tai was complaining.

"No, Tai," she said with a half laugh, half gasp as he dared to bite her shoulder. "Me first." Flipping her hair back, she made her way down his chest and his abs, and then lowered herself further, ready to savor his taste.

She was intense, alright—that was all Tai remembered from Joe's conversation as he grasped at Mimi's hair, and then, when Mimi positioned herself on top of him, where Tai learned she liked to be. She rode with him in such a way a practiced dancer would, matching the flow of his song with her bewitching moves, knowing exactly how to leave him entranced.

"I thought you said you were tired," said Tai, breathless, both of them panting as she now sprawled herself against him.

"There's more where that came from," she replied, kissing the top of his bare chest.

"Color me impressed." Mimi then lifted herself up to meet his gaze, before giving him a deep kiss against his lips. Then, she went back to rest her head against his chest, and he felt her sighing happily before her breathing returned to normal. Tai realized that this moment of calm between them was one of those that he had been used always been used to, even if with Mimi it was usually for a short time.

"Hey, Tai, your phone's blinking," he heard her say. Then, she reached for it, and he put his arm around her and peered over her head to watch as she opened his messages. "Oh wow, they're all from me…"

"Well, yeah, since you message me every other minute."

Mimi was silent as she scrolled through the string of messages on her phone, stopping once she picked up a different name. "—Oh, Kari."

"Are you looking for something?" Tai asked.

"No. I was just curious," she said, putting the phone back. "I'm happy I'm the only one you've been talking to lately. It makes me feel so special." She sighed again, and she could feel her take a breath, as though she was taking in his scent. "I just wish I could be with you every waking moment."

 _Every waking moment,_ echoed Joe's voice in Tai's head.

She kissed him again, and Tai started to wonder, but the wondering stopped as soon as he started, when Mimi smiled her devilish smile, and her hand reaching down.


	3. tai & sora & mimi I

**\+ slow dance +**

 **\+ chapter three +**

 **\+ tai + sora + mimi +**

* * *

 _ **Summary:**_ _Tai starts to notice Sora's absence, Sora starts something new this time around, and Mimi starts to have concerns._

* * *

 **\+ tai +**

It had been raining all of that Tuesday. Tai noticed from his desk next to the window near the back of the classroom. He got a whiff of the flowers blooming just outside the window a few floors down—they smelled just like her.

The world seemed brighter since Tai started going out with Mimi, and he watched the dark clouds part to reveal rays of sunshine, as though the weather was in synch with him—

"Ow!" he said all of a sudden, feeling a strike on his forehead and holding his palm against it. A piece of chalk rolled down the page of his notebook and onto the top of his desk.

"Yagami!" the teacher yelled in annoyance. "Is the weather so interesting that you ignore my lesson?"

"Sorry, teach," he replied, rubbing his forehead as his surrounding classmates whispered and giggled.

"Don't worry; you won't want to ignore my next topic—yesterday's quiz."

He felt the atmosphere change; there were some looks of panic and nervousness, some, especially the few who aced these things each time, looking confidently smug. Tai only looked out the window again, unphased. Teacher had been announcing quizzes nearly every other day as of late, and he had already gotten used to studying for them.

When he looked down through the window, he happened to see Mimi walk along the walkway below. Their eyes met, and she smiled and winked at him.

Teacher cleared her throat next to him and he turned to look up at her stern gaze. Quietly, she placed his graded quiz on top of his desk, faced down, and he picked it up as she walked to the next desk.

86%. _Not bad_ , he thought.

"Great job, Takenouchi," he heard Teacher say a few moments later. Sora sat three desks ahead of him in the next row. He lowered the piece of paper in his hands to see her holding hers the same way he did, revealing the 98% in red ink.

 _How in the world did she do that?_ He always admired her sheer concentration with school work, even with juggling tennis club and costume-making for the drama club. It was a struggle for him with soccer club alone.

The bell rang, and as he watched her stand up from her desk, he did the same. He planned to catch up to her and say, "Proud of you, Smartypants," and was expecting her to quip with, "I'm surprised you did alright, given you're so focused on rehearsing as a weatherman." They would walk out of the classroom with Matt following behind wearing his normal impassive expression.

But Teacher held him back by a tap on his shoulder, and he watched Matt meet Sora at her desk, before they both walked into the hallway together. Matt glanced his way once, though Sora kept on walking.

 _Why is she avoiding me?_

"Don't worry, Teach," said Tai, turning to Teacher. "I don't want to be a weatherman."

Teacher look at him in utter confusion. Tai perked up, realizing what he just did.

"Don't worry about that," he continued on. "I'm sorry for being distracted today, Teacher."

"Taichi, you're always distracted in class," she said, "But that's not what I'm worried about. I'm concerned about your future."

"My future?"

Teacher explained that he was the only one in the class who hasn't turned in his career planning form, and that it would be a waste of his character to put off his decisions during the most important year of high school.

Did it all really matter? He had decent grades and the soccer team going for him, and he got along with the other students—all which Teacher pointed out. Why didn't he want to choose his future endeavors?

It wasn't that he didn't want to choose what he wanted to be. It's just that he had absolutely no clue. If only he actually paid attention to Joe that day to get his mind going.

Tai felt his phone buzz in his pocket but ignored it—he was on his way to meet up with Mimi, anyway. He walked out of the classroom alone and into a now empty hallway, his backpack hanging on his shoulder. Had this happened a few weeks ago, one other person would be leaning against the wall next to the doorway, waiting to hear him vent.

If only he could talk to Sora about this now.

* * *

 **\+ sora +**

Sora went straight home after school, determined that her plan would work. She tried to but couldn't engage in conversing with Matt, who mentioned something about songwriting, and then, about broken bass guitar strings before he branched off to his way home. It was hard to focus when she declared this afternoon, when she got home from school, as the time she would complete the task she had been stewing over.

She walked in, taking her shoes off, announced to her mom she was back home, and went into her room, closing the door behind her.

She dropped her backpack on the floor, holding up her phone, her breath suddenly caught in her throat. Did she really want to do this?

 _Sora, you need to do this_ , was the response in her head. With a deep breath and the push of a few buttons, she selected the name of the person she had in mind for this plan, and dialed his number.

"Hey, Sora?"

"Hey, Joe," she said, too anxious to sit down. "How's it going?"

"Long time no talk, Sora! I'm glad to hear from you!"

"Same here! Listen…"

"Yes?"

Sora opened and closed her mouth in hesitation. "There's something I've been wanting to ask you for a while now. I think it would be nice if we hung out sometime."

"I think that would be great. It would be nice to catch up with an old friend. I haven't seen you in a while, what with university, and all."

Sora took another deep breath. "That's not what I meant."

"Oh? Then, what do you mean?"

"I mean, we could go see a movie, have dinner…that kind of hangout."

Joe's pause lasted a few seconds, though to Sora the anxiety from it lasted longer.

"Sora, are you asking me out?" he asked.

"I'm fairly certain I am, Joe."

"Oh. _Oh._ "

Sora was panicking now. "Seriously, Joe, if you wanted to turn a girl down…"

"No, Sora, it's not that. I'm just… surprised. I'd love to hang out. Really."

"…Really?"

"Yeah. I can work around my schedule. Just let me know and I'll pick you up."

After working out the details for Saturday night, Sora sat on the edge of her bed, mouth open in surprise. She didn't expect that to go as well as it did. Joe was a nice guy—smart, reliable, responsible. He seemed like a good guy to enjoy herself with.

It was just as Mimi said: What's wrong with dating your guy friends?

* * *

Joe's studio apartment door flew open that Saturday night, and Sora stumbled in together with him, hands on each other and too busy moving their lips together to see where they were stepping. She tried following his lead as they went further into his living room, knocking things over and bumping into corners in the process.

"You're so clumsy," she said with a giggle between a kiss. She ran her hands through his hair, perhaps too short on her fingers. His kisses were soft, sweet, and sloppy on her as he held her in his surprisingly strong embrace.

"Is that so horrible?" he mumbled against her as she felt his hands exploring her back to her waist.

"It's cute."

Sora didn't think this would happen so quickly. Joe was in semi-formal attire—long sleeved shirt and tie that matched his neat navy blue hair, along with nice slacks. She found it attractive, and it drew her to take hold of his hand after the movie as they walked to a restaurant for dinner. He wanted to pay for the two of them, and she insisted they split the bill, but she had been sitting close to him, on his arm the whole time.

Eventually they were near the table in the living room, which was scattered with open textbooks, pens, and highlighters. Sora detached herself from him for a moment to slide it all off with her arm and climbed backwards onto the table. She watched him crawl on all fours over her, and she held his tie to pull his face closer to hers. She stared into his dark, questioning eyes, still holding the tie at his neck.

Nothing.

She felt nothing.

"What's wrong?" he asked, catching his breath as she sighed, loosening her grip on his tie and sitting up on the table.

"This is," she said, holding her palm on her forehead. "This is wrong."

"What do you mean?" Joe still hovered over her, palms leaning against the table. "Was it me?"

"No, it wasn't."

"Was it the tie?"

"No, the tie… the tie was good."

"Were my lips chapped?"

"No."

"My breath… Was it the garlic?"

"That was me."

"Am I a bad kisser, then?"

"You're not, Joe…"

A few names of better kissers appeared in her head, but she figured to spare his pride for this moment. She didn't want to feel worse knowing she just tainted their friendship. That feeling of being close to someone, being in love was what she craved, but she couldn't see any of that with Joe.

"This shouldn't have happened," she said, putting the other hand to cover her face. "I'm so sorry, Joe."

It was Joe's turn to sigh, and Sora removed both of her hands to meet his gaze, in which he appeared sad, although smiling as though he knew her intentions.

"I suppose you're going to say, 'We can still be friends,'" he said. "I'll be okay with that… Just don't contact me for a while."

It surprised her how cool and collected he'd become over the years, and that he showed no signs of panic at all tonight. Either that, or the panic was still there, and she was just internally freaking out even more than he was. She gave him a sad smile, this one of guilt, and got up to help him pick up the books and pens she threw onto the floor.

"If I'm honest," he said, "I think it's you who's the bad kisser."

 _Ouch_ , went Sora's own pride, but she decided to let him have it. She just rejected him, after all.

She hoped nothing more would be said other than "goodnight" before she left, but Joe paused at the front door with her and asked a question.

"Sora, how's Tai doing?" he asked.

She let out a small laugh.

"Hell if I know," she replied, realizing then that Joe read her better than she did herself, and that he knew exactly what was going on.

* * *

 **\+ mimi +**

Mimi stayed home Saturday night baking in the kitchen, Tai in her company. He was a regular visitor now, and even Mimi's parents joked about it every time they met him. Mimi flippantly scolded them in his defense, but it warmed her heart knowing they liked him, too.

She had yet to meet Tai's parents.

"Ooh, it's done!" she exclaimed. The oven timer beeped at zero, and Mimi ran to the oven wearing her flowery pink apron, turning the knob and opening the door. The heat brushed against her face as she pulled the tray of pastries out and placed on a rack on the counter for them to cool.

"You're going to love these, Tai," she said with giddiness.

"I'm sure I will," Tai said, from the counter table in the middle of the kitchen. "You're amazing at that kind of thing."

He looked down at the table with his notes and homework papers laid out in front of him, and Mimi felt a pang of worry in the back of her mind. It had been turning on and off the last few days. He already said it was about the pressure his teacher was giving him, but the thought that it had something to do with her remained ever-growing.

When the pastries were ready, Mimi grabbed a plate to serve. She put the fresh plate next to his notebook, then, pushing his arm to hold her, she sat on top of his lap with a pastry in hand.

"Try it," she said, moving it towards his mouth. She waited with anticipation for his reaction as he took a bite.

"Mmm," he went, looking thoughtful as he nodded with the first few bites, then his expression changed. " _Mmm!_ "

"Do you like it?" she asked, even though the look of satisfaction on his face already answered for her.

"Oh yeah, that's delicious! Is that strawberry jam?"

"That's right! I'm so happy!"

She rested her head on his shoulder happily as he took a few more bites. It was something she knew he would enjoy, ever since she dragged him to a bakery after school a few days ago, and he chose the strawberry-filled pastry.

"You can take as much as you want home, if you'd like," she said, watching with glee as he took another from the plate. "And…"

She stopped herself as she was about to mention Sora. There was no doubt she was going to save some pastries for Sora for the next time she saw her, but it saddened her that she hadn't seen Sora lately. She remembered moments where Sora would be so busy that it would take a whole day for her to call or text back, but there had been an odd aura around her lately. What's more, Mimi grew more reluctant to mention anything about her to Tai.

"And…?" Tai repeated with a muffle.

"Silly. I really am glad you liked them. You seemed down lately, so I thought I'd bake something you liked."

"Aww, Meems, that's really thoughtful of you."

"Sure."

She looked up at him and he looked back, his eyes less sad now and he smiled this time. She moved her head up to kiss him, again, and again, each one slower, softer, and sweeter. This was her hint—Saturday night, her parents were out of town again, they were alone in the kitchen, but perhaps they could go to her room.

He kept one hand around her waist, and held his other hand at the back of her neck, stroking his thumb as he gently kissed back. He must have gotten the hint, and the back of her neck was tingling from that and the feel of his lips.

His lips, which pulled away from her, and let out a soft exhale.

"Thank you, Mimi," he said. Mimi was left confused as Tai smiled at her, kissing her forehead as his hand moved away from her neck, reaching for his pencil, and then holding its tip to the lined paper to write.

In an instant, Mimi was furious. Groaning in frustration, she swatted his arms away from her to get off of him, that pencil now flying across the kitchen.

* * *

.

.

.

.

 **Author's Note:** I've decided, I'll be posting chapters daily for this fic. Hope you're ready to "dance" over the next two weeks...


	4. mimi & sora & tai

**\+ slow dance +**

 **\+ chapter four +**

 **\+ mimi + sora + tai +**

* * *

 _ **Summary:** Confrontations abound. And all of them going nowhere._

* * *

 **\+ mimi +**

"Whoa—Hey, Mimi!" Tai said in surprise, getting off of the stool he sat on. "What's the big idea?"

"Why don't you tell me what's _really_ going on, Tai?" Mimi cried in anger as she stood in front of him. "You're mad at me!"

"Wh—Wai—How is that even possible?"

He gave her an incredulous look, but that didn't fool her. She had already been convinced that he was not telling her the whole truth, but his stuttering only affirmed it.

"You haven't been talking to me, Tai. You haven't been telling me what's been bothering you, so the only reason I can see is because of me!"

"I _told_ you it was about school! What more could it be about?"

There was exactly one thing she had been piecing together, and it made the most sense to her. "We've been dating for a while now, Tai, and not once have you invited me over to your place!"

Tai's hands had been up as he argued, but hearing that made him pause, then drop them to his sides.

"I'm _not_ mad at you, Mimi. I have no reason to be."

"Then, why can't we ever hang out at your place? Am I not good enough for you?"

"Mimi, stop that." Tai held his hands on either side of her shoulders. His voice went back to his normal tone. "I've never had a girl over."

Mimi stared, wide-eyed. "Never? Not even S—your friends?"

Thinking about it, Sora always mentioned whenever Tai went over to her house, but never the other way around. Even Mimi herself had never been to his place, either.

"My mom and sister are always around," he explained. " _Always_. They already ask too many questions if they hear about you. They'd probably bombard you with more questions."

"I see." Mimi felt at ease after hearing Tai's explanation. She knew herself enough to recognize she had jumped to conclusions once again, but she just couldn't help doing it, even after Sora called her out on it, many, many times.

"Besides…" he said, and Mimi realized he was now gently rubbing her shoulders. "I don't want them hearing the things I like to do…"

"Oh?" Mimi took hold of the collar of his T-shirt to pull him closer. "What kind of things, I wonder?" Their faces only inches apart now, Mimi couldn't help but feel like she won; he slipped away from her grasp for a bit, but she succeeded in reeling him back in.

"Do you want to know?" he teased, and somehow, Mimi found her back against the wall, caught mesmerized by his stare. Who was winning here…?

A mischievous smile formed on her lips, forgetting what she was ever upset about.

"I guess you'll have to show me, then," she said, and up the stairs and to her bed they went for Tai to show her. Mimi let out a squeal, then a giggle, followed by other sounds beyond her control.

* * *

 **\+ sora +**

Another Tuesday. Another locker slammed shut. Another appearance from Mimi behind it.

Sora took note of Mimi's shocked expression and could already guess why she looked at her like that.

" _You went out with Joe and you didn't tell me?"_ Mimi whispered with agitation. Sora was surprised it took three days for that to reach Mimi.

"What gave it away?" Sora asked, turning to hurry to class, carrying her books in her arms. She didn't want to talk about it, but Mimi walked briskly by her side.

"They were saying, _'It makes sense she would go out with a uni boy,'_ and, _'She's going out with that dark blue-haired senpai? She has good taste.'_ "

"What do ' _they'_ know about my taste?"

"They don't, but I do—or I _should_!" Mimi sped up to stop Sora and met her face-to-face. "Why didn't you say anything? You tell me everything."

Sora shrugged. "I've been busy, and so have you. I didn't think you would have time for—"

"Boy talk?! Sora, I'm going to make time for that. Just like I would for you-always."

Mimi had always been so thoughtful to Sora. It was one of the reasons Sora loved her. She just wished that Mimi turned her thoughtful words into actions more often. Mimi was one to cut conversations short or cancel on her whenever it involved a guy. Sora could barely talk to her now, especially when she's been so occupied with a certain someone…

But that didn't stop her from telling Mimi everything. Sora stopped near her classroom door, leaning back on the wall next to it. She saw Mimi's face fall as she told her the end, minus Joe's last question.

"Oh, Sora…" Mimi said.

"I didn't feel anything with him, so I had to tell him that," Sora replied.

Mimi put her hand on Sora's arm in comfort. "Well, it really was worth a try. He's a good guy. You deserve that."

It was that thoughtful comment that made Sora miss talking to her.

"Mimi!" came a voice, and Sora looked on as a hug formed around her friend, and a head with a messy brown mane appeared at her shoulder. Mimi laughed along with him, her hands holding his as they shared a kiss. "Hey, Sora," he added after.

"Hey," she said, steeling herself quickly. Turning to Mimi, she bid her adieu and walked around the happy couple and into the classroom, telling herself that there truly were good guys out there, even if it wasn't Tai.

* * *

 **\+ tai +**

Before walking into the locker room, Tai noticed his teammates buzzing amongst themselves and looking in the same direction.

"Tai, isn't that that cute girl you always used to talk to?" said one of the first years, nudging his shoulder to make him look. It turned out they were staring at a group of girls in their tennis uniforms, tight-fitting sleeveless shirts and skirts reaching down to only the middle of their thighs. Among them, with her tennis racket resting on her shoulder, was Sora, chatting away. She might've been giving pointers to her juniors on how to improve their technique, and Tai figured she would say she was too busy to talk to him if he tried to approach her. Then, she'd try to turn and leave.

He swatted his teammates into the locker room, then ran over to Sora, anyway. He needed some questions answered.

"I'm too busy to talk to you," she said, as Tai expected. He put his hand on her shoulder as she made her attempt to leave. Why was she being so hostile?

"How long are you going to be busy until you talk to me?"

Sora slid his hand off her shoulder and turned to him, her expression unreadable. "I have matches coming up, Tai. I know you've got some, too. Practice is crucial right now."

The girls from Sora's club called for her to hurry up, and she turned from him again, leaving his question unanswered.

"I want to talk to you, Sora. It's been a while. And I know you have breaks."

Sora stopped but didn't turn to face him this time.

"You know where I'll be," she said, before walking away.

* * *

During his break, Tai headed just outside the tennis court, stopping outside the tall fence surrounding it. The girls including Sora were off to either side of the net, telling him that they were taking a breather.

He called out to her, and the whole court turned their heads. Sora wiped her face with a towel and slung it over her shoulder. She kept her hair up and visor cap on as she walked toward him, appearing nonplussed by the hushed voices and giggles from the rest of her team.

"One-on-ones?" Tai asked. Sora leaned against the other end, her back facing him.

"Yeah, awesome sets, too," she said, taking a swig of her bottled water, looking toward the court. "The girls are getting better."

"They're probably still no match for you, though."

"I haven't lost one yet."

Tai put his hands against the chain links in front of him. "I bet you can't say the same against me in soccer."

Sora took another gulp, then lowered the bottle from her lips, turning to look at him, now with skepticism.

"Don't be so sure of yourself, Tai."

His face was smug as she stared him down, her brown eyes showing a fire that happened whenever she was challenged to do something, or so he figured. Then she blinked a few times and that look was gone, and she was now looking back at the court once again. For a moment, things seemed normal between them.

"We live on the same street, Sora, and I see you every day," he said. "But, it seems like you disappeared off the face of the earth. At least, from me."

"And why do you think that, Tai?" she asked, her response seemingly quick. "We're in our last year of high school. We both have a lot of things going on for us."

"Well, we were busy last year, too, and the years before that, but we found time to hang out, didn't we? Hanging out at the diner, doing homework after school, training before practice—what about all that?"

Sora kept her gaze averted, and for Tai it triggered a memory long kept between the two of them, one that neither of them spoke of since. He kept his mouth shut, watching her, knowing even a mention of it would drive her even further away than she was now.

"Things change," she said finally, after her silence. "Tell me that you still have any ounce of time for that right now. Do you?"

It was Tai's turn to think. Sure, there was school, there was soccer, and there was Mimi, but there wasn't anything else, was there? Between classes today, Mimi would check on him. During lunch, Mimi pulled him out of the cafeteria so they could have lunch alone somewhere. Before practice today, Mimi found an abandoned closet for them to make out in…

Mimi, Mimi, Mimi. He did spend a lot of time with her. There wasn't anything wrong with that—she was his girlfriend. But…

Tai ignored the phone buzzing in his pocket, although Sora heard it.

"You better answer that," she said, pushing herself off the fence and walking back to the court.

"What should I do?" he asked all of a sudden, with his voice raised enough for her to stop walking further.

"About what, Tai?" she asked.

He wasn't so sure himself. It might have been a combination of things—what to do after high school, how to respond to Mimi's text, how to get in Sora's good graces again. Or, it might have been something he couldn't comprehend just yet. Sora would have had an answer for all of the above, if he asked her.

But the tennis coach called her, and Tai's teammate ran over to tell him that their break was almost up. To his surprise, Sora stood there, waiting for him to respond.

"Maybe we can talk some other time," he said, deciding to let the situation be for now. Sora had a look of disappointment.

"I'll see you around, Tai," she said and once more, she turned from him; and he turned from her, the distance between them growing further and further apart.


	5. mimi & tai & sora I

**\+ slow dance +**

 **\+ chapter five +**

 **\+ mimi + tai + sora +**

* * *

 _ **Summary** : A dinner date gets interesting as Sora continues forward with her plan._

* * *

 **\+ mimi +**

Tai took Mimi to a restaurant on a Friday evening. There was no special occasion, nothing to celebrate. Simply, "Just because."

Mimi was more head over heels with him than ever. She told Sora a few times that she'd been in love before, but not like she was with Tai.

They sat in a booth, and Mimi cozied up against him, wrapped around his arm. She loved the feel of his toned muscles, probably from all that strength training with his soccer buddies.

"Care for dessert?" said the waitress as she appeared.

"The chocolate cake, please," said Tai, flashing a smile at her. Mimi's eyes followed the waitress as she smiled back, a friendly one that may have had deeper intentions.

Mimi cleared her throat.

"We'll just have _one_ fork, please," she said, and saw the waitress's smile falter a little before nodding and walking away. Tai let out a laugh.

"Relax, Meems! You're squeezing my arm," he said. "I could die of blood malfunction."

Mimi ignored the terrible joke and loosened her tight grip on him.

"I didn't like the way she looked at you," she said, looking away from him.

"Mimi," he said with his voice lowering. She felt his finger on her chin as he lifted it for her to face him. "Do you think one look from another girl is going to steal me away from you?" The look he had on her only made her believe in him. He knew exactly what to do, exactly what to say to make her calm down whenever she went into one of her sudden tirades.

"Kiss me," was her breathless response, and he did as she requested.

Soon, a server returned setting down a slice of chocolate cake in front of them, garnished with sliced strawberries on top, and Mimi's eyes widened in excitement. She took the one fork, cut a piece, and made a noise of satisfaction as the chocolate filled her tongue.

"Geez, Mimi, are you going to make me compete with that?" Tai asked, but she ignored him again and took another bite.

"This. Is. So. _Good_."

"Girls and their chocolate, every time…"

She felt Tai watching her as she enjoyed herself with every bite. She even fed him a bite at one point, and scowled at his less than enthused reaction. Then Mimi took the fork to the strawberry slices, to which Tai stopped her.

"Can I have that, at least?" he asked.

"Sure," she said, holding up the fork to him. "That must be your favorite fruit, then, huh?"

"What, strawberries?"

"Mmhmm. You don't go for the red bean, or the custard, either. Just something I noticed."

"I guess so. It just makes everything taste better."

When the table was cleared and the bill was handed over, Mimi moved her hand up his chest and planted a soft kiss on his lips.

"Where to next, Tai? My place… or yours?"

Tai laughed. "Don't be silly, Mimi. I already told you about my place. Let's go to yours."

"Okay," she said with a smile. "I'll just freshen up before we leave."

She got up and headed toward the ladies' room, the smile never fading from her lips. He said his place was off limits, but she was already thinking of a way to change his mind.

* * *

 **\+ tai +**

Tai sighed in relief as he sat for a while in the booth after Mimi left for the restroom.

It took him awhile to recognize whenever she showed her temper, which was mostly from little things; like when he ignored her text messages, or, when they had that one weird shouting match with the pastries, or, when it came to other girls. There was always a spark flaming her dynamite, and tonight, he was glad he had his wits and charm about him to cool her down.

Was this really what Joe was talking about? Whether they were out together like this or having a wild night in, all Mimi did was keep him on his toes, even if it all happened to tire him out at the end of the day. She was definitely better to think about than mulling over the other things that stuck in his mind.

He still had the taste of strawberries lingering in his mouth as he weaved through tables to get to the cashier at the front. He wasn't really a fan of sweet things, but when he had to choose, it was that flavor he preferred over the others. The reason why never dawned on him.

Somehow, his thoughts about this one thing got the best of him, and he suddenly stopped as a waiter nearly bumped into him.

"Ahh! I'm so sorry!" said the frantic waiter, bowing repeatedly to him.

"Don't worry about it," said Tai, and he stepped aside to give way to the waiter and the other person with him, but took pause when he recognized that the other person was Sora, with Matt was standing right behind her.

Tai stood there, stunned to see them together. Were they just there having dinner, as friends?

No…they couldn't be on a date.

Awkward silence fell among them, only to be broken by the waiter, who Sora and Matt followed without so much as a look toward Tai. He could only watch them from where he stood, seeing that they were seated at the same booth he just left from, and Matt's arm reaching around Sora's shoulder.

Suddenly, Tai wasn't sure what to feel.

"Ready to go?" Mimi asked from behind him. He whirled around, trying to cover Matt and Sora from view.

"Y-yeah," he stammered, and Mimi started to look concerned.

"Everything alright? You don't look so good."

"I'm fine, let's just go. Maybe it was the strawberries."

Tai left the restaurant with Mimi, hiding her dynamite from the sparks, although, he wondered if any sparks caught on to his own.

* * *

 **\+ sora +**

Sora still had that plan of hers ongoing in her mind, and that included the thought that Matt was going to turn her down.

"I'll think about it," he said when she asked him out, and then he passed her in class silently for the next few days until he finally accepted. She figured it was just his nature, to think something through before deciding to go for it, but it didn't stop her from being nervous about it as she waited.

She noticed him usually silent and standoffish amongst a group of people, only either laughing along to something funny or speaking up when he had something endearing to say. Either way, he and Sora always talked comfortably to each other, and he always seemed to want to join her wherever she went.

Only now, a few dates in, he lay together with her in his bed, his lips falling onto hers as she rested underneath him. Their clothes were already thrown on the floor—it was just the two of them, a blanket covering them, and a pillow under Sora's head. Sora could only hear the sounds of her mouth meeting his, their slow breaths on each other, and the occasional soft sigh escaping her lips.

Matt's lips moved to her neck which tickled her, then she gasped as she felt him enter her.

"What happened to keeping it down?" he whispered in jest with a deep tone in her ear, though a shiver went up her spine and spread all over.

"Oh, shut up," she moaned, and together they rocked, with her fingers on one hand clasping onto his hair—still short, but enough for her to grab—and the other clawing behind his shoulder. It almost annoyed her, just how much noise she was making because of him, but who was she to stop him?

She had more in common with him than she realized, and going on dates with him felt normal, like hanging out as friends, with the exception of how they ended the evening.

He surprised her, that's for sure.

They lay still, their breathing now nearly soundless and Sora slowly drifting to slumber in Matt's arms. It was then that instinct sounded an alarm in her head, causing her to wake and roll out of bed.

"You're not staying?" Matt asked, leaning up on his elbows.

"You know my mother, Matt," Sora said, clipping her bra on and slipping into her dress. "She'll kill me if she found out I spent the night with a date."

"Don't you have Mimi to help you with that?"

Sora was caught off guard, not for the fact that he mentioned Mimi, but at that fact that he remembered she told him that in passing once.

"Well, yeah…" said Sora, "…But, she's busy."

"I see."

Sora sat on the edge of the bed, putting her heels on her feet. Mimi was her lifesaver in situations where she felt it worth staying the night—Sora would call Mimi, then call her mother together to tell her they were having a sleepover. This surprised even Mimi that Sora thought of something so sneaky, but she was always happy to go along with it.

It didn't feel right for her to feel sneaky tonight. Did she even want Mimi to know yet? Did she already know? Judging the look on Tai's face earlier, he didn't find out until then, so…

"What are you thinking about?" Matt asked with a light prod. "Monday's test, I bet."

Sora laughed. "School is so far from my mind right now." A truth in place of a lie. _Nice one, Sora,_ she thought.

"And me?" he asked, propping himself up to sit next to her. "Where am I in your mind at this very moment?"

"That's a silly question," she said, melting into another one of his kisses, which made her want to undress all over again. But, she put her hand over his and pulled herself away, meeting his unhappy gaze. "It's not as though we aren't going out again. I do like you, after all."

"Likewise," he said, smiling.

Sora stared at her phone on the subway train ride home, the debate of telling Mimi still going back and forth like a ball in a tennis match. Why should she still be worrying about Tai, anyway? Things were supposed to take a turn now with Matt in the picture. She didn't have to think about Tai, and Mimi didn't have to worry about her feelings anymore. Maybe talking to Mimi about this would bring their friendship back to normal.

Taking a chance, Sora drafted a text and hit send, unsure of how quickly Mimi would respond, and in an instant, Sora's phone lit up with a popup labeled Mimi's name.

" _WHAT?! Matt's a cutie, I always thought he had a thing for you! What happened to our 'sleepover'?! 3"_

Sora giggled at Mimi's reply, feeling the tension between them, at least, perhaps in her head, easing a little more.

Passing the Yagami residence on the way home, she thought to stop and say hello to Kari and Mrs. Yagami, as she did sometimes. Tai never answered the door; either he was out, or sleeping, or sleeping elsewhere…

She walked on. Tai didn't matter anymore.

At least, that's what she kept telling herself.


	6. tai & sora

**\+ slow dance +**

 **\+ chapter six +**

 **\+ tai + sora +**

* * *

 _ **Summary:** Sora tries to focus on her new boyfriend, and Tai just can't focus at all._

* * *

 **\+ tai +**

"Tai? Tai? _Are you even listening, Tai?!_ "

"Huh?" said Tai, blinking. He had been standing at his locker, hand on the door. He thought to take his folder out but realized it was already tucked under his arm. Next to him stood one of the students in his year, who happened to be the captain of the soccer team.

"Where is your head right now?!" asked the captain. "I'm trying to tell you something!"

Tai didn't know how to answer that. It was Monday morning, so he figured that returning to the dread of school after the freedom of the weekend was messing with his head. He wasn't looking forward to another lecture from Teacher, much less getting more work piled on him in the form of reading assignments and more tests to study for.

"Honestly, Tai," the captain continued, "How am I supposed to trust in you if you keep—Hey, Sora."

"Captain."

"I hope you aren't causing him any trouble, Taichi," was what Sora would have said as she passed. Instead, Tai looked up to see her pass by, greeting the captain with a smile. For a moment, her eyes moved to meet Tai's, then quickly flickered as she looked ahead, where he saw Matt waiting for her.

Tai looked on as Matt moved his hand to hold hers when they walked together, but then he brought it up to her waist instead. Once upon a time, the three of them stood together outside of class, hanging out and talking freely about anything and everything. He could hardly read Matt's face most of the time, but even Sora would show if she had any ounce of interest in any other guy, much less tell him.

It frustrated him that none of it made any sense, and even more so, the fact that it frustrated him at all.

" _Tai_ ," the captain groaned.

"Oh, right, sorry." Tai closed his locker shut, hoping the sound of the door would shut all his thoughts away. "I'm listening."

"Okay. So, as I was saying, I'm going to trust in you to take care of the team in my absence."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm quitting the team."

" _What?"_

The captain went into his explanation: He's shooting to go to a prestigious university overseas, soccer was just a hobby anyway, science was his true passion, studying hard will be his focus from now on…

"What about you, Tai?" the captain went on. "Don't you know what you want to do? I'm sure you'll do well as captain! Good luck! You're the best!"

The now former captain walked away, leaving Tai dumbfounded. Feeling a heavier weight on his shoulders with a new leadership title slapped onto him, he turned back to his locker, wondering if opening and shutting it would work again. He did just that, opening it slowly, then slamming it a little harder than normally; although, once he did, Mimi appeared by his side with a smile.

"Morning, sweetie!" she said, greeting him with a kiss. He was so out of focus he nearly didn't kiss back. "I brought you some sweet bread! Eat them while you walk me to class?"

"Yeah, of course," he said, trying to sound calm. "I've just…been made team captain."

"Really?!" Mimi gasped and hugged him. "That's great! Isn't it? We should celebrate! Maybe do something after school!"

Tai laughed, hoping that doing so would ease his worries. "We always see each other after school, Mimi."

"That won't make it any less special, right? Because you're always with me."

"You're right," said Tai, giving her a smile. "But…I probably won't have too much time today. I might have to talk something out with coach and the rest of the team, so I'll probably be busy."

The sound of the bell alerted the students in the hallway to converge into their classrooms. Quickly turning to Mimi, Tai gave her a kiss.

"I've got a lot to deal with," he told her. "I'll text you later, okay?"

He let go of Mimi's hand and walked to his classroom, completely forgetting that he was supposed to walk with her.

* * *

 **\+ sora +**

Sora sat at her desk in the classroom before the ring of the bell that same Monday morning, watching Matt chat with other classmates surrounding him. One of them slapped the back of his shoulder in greeting, and Sora could only giggle to herself at his grimace.

A few moments later, girls in her class circled around her desk, their faces inquisitive and anticipating the details of the new boy she finally revealed that she was spending time with. Sora wasn't one to boast like Mimi did, and kept her dating life private, but once anyone found out, these girls flocked to her like clockwork, asking things like, "Where have you gone with him?" and, "What have you done together?" as well as, "What's his size?"

"I'm never going to get used to it," Sora groaned to Mimi in the bathroom during one of their breaks. "They bombard me with so many questions. And they ask these things, even when _he's right behind us_."

Mimi laughed heartily. "Oh, Sora, you know how it is when you date someone new. It's all the questions I love to ask you, anyway. He never showed interest in me, but I've always wondered, too, you know."

Sora glowered at Mimi's grin.

"Seriously, Sora!" Mimi went on, "I would have gotten on the phone with you at the drop of the hat no matter what time you called me that night. Even if I was with Tai—"

Mimi stopped as though she took a misstep in the conversation. Sora's expression softened.

"It's okay, Meems," Sora said. "You don't have to do that anymore. Tell me as much as you want. I'm over it."

Mimi smiled, and to Sora's certainty, so did she. But Mimi's smile faded shortly after, and she began to tell Sora about what happened earlier that morning.

"He's _team captain_ now?" Sora asked, bewildered. _He must be freaking out right now_ , she thought to herself.

"He's probably really stressed about it right now and needs time to process, Mimi. That's probably why he forgot to walk you."

"I guess so," said Mimi, though doubtfully. "I just hope that's all that it is, and that he's not hiding anything else from me."

"Mimi, don't worry! He can be a little absent-minded when he gets overwhelmed. Knowing him, he's usually upfront about everything, so he's going to tell you what's on his mind."

Mimi stared at her then, Sora sensed, with suspicion. "You know a lot about him, don't you, Sora?"

Sora paused, tensing up from Mimi's watchful eyes.

"We're best friends," Sora replied with a small shrug, ignoring whether she meant in the present tense, or past. "I've hung out with him enough to know how he is. This is for your benefit, you know."

"Right," replied Mimi, seeming uncertain, but Sora started to think it was for a different reason.

"Mimi, seriously. I'm telling you this so that you don't convince yourself with some foolish, made up theory of yours about Tai being up to something. He _likes_ you."

Mimi's hard stare at Sora relaxed, though her eyes slowly looked away.

"And I love him…" Mimi said meekly.

Sora looked at Mimi now, taken aback. Mimi never admitted this about any guy she dated throughout high school. There was something discomforting about hearing it, and Sora wasn't sure whether she knew Mimi's tendencies with guys, or…

Mimi went on. "Maybe if he knew, he'd pay more attention to me—"

"I think you should hold off telling him," said Sora suddenly, making Mimi stare at her again. Here was where Sora should've given her reasoning, anything that could have justified her advice. But here was where she had no idea what to say.

Still, Mimi gave her a smile. "I understand, Sora. I'll hold off on it. I'm so glad I have you for this."

They walked out of the bathroom together in silence, and Mimi walked ahead to her classroom, but Sora could see, in the extreme hesitation in Mimi's smile, in the tension rising in their silence, that Mimi was concocting a new theory in her head—foolish, maybe, but hell if Sora knew if it was even made up.

* * *

After school on Wednesday, Matt went home with Sora to do homework together. Sora rested against him as he sat with his back to her headboard, both of them reading a copy of the same book for their class. Sora finished reading her copy and looked up to see Matt's blue eyes focused on the last few pages.

"Ha!" she said, and Matt looked up from his book.

"Is everything a competition to you?" he asked, giving her a look. She smiled cheerfully at him as he went back to reading. Wanting his attention, she moved her hands up and down his chest as her eyes stared at him. "I'm almost done, Sora."

"I know," she said in a playful tone, her hands snaking around his neck, his eyes on her again, this time not leaving. "And I can just tell you how it ends."

"Good point."

Sora pressed her lips on him before the book even fell out of his hand. He grabbed onto her back and pulled her closer, the warmth of his lips inviting. She liked how his kisses felt, with each touch more addicting than the next, like his magnetic energy brought her lips back to his each time she pulled away. She was so sucked in to his kisses to notice his hand had slipped up her skirt.

"Aren't you a little devious," Sora said, though with a giggle, observing his impish smile.

"Says the girl who distracted me from reading," he said. His lips linked to hers again, and she felt his fingers sliding further up between her legs, running across her thighs, when they heard a door close from outside.

"Sora! I'm home!"

"Dammit!" Sora whispered as she and Matt jumped off of each other. Sora frantically straightened her hair up and flattened down her school uniform, while Matt picked up his book and threw Sora's copy for her to catch. By the time her bedroom door flew open, Sora sat on her desk chair, Matt on the rug next to the bed, each with their book in hand.

"Ah, Yamato, good to see you," said her mother. Matt smiled and nodded. Then she turned to Sora, thankfully with no signs of disproval. "I'm just about to make dinner."

"Great, mom. Let me know if you need any help."

When her mother closed the door, Sora heaved a sigh, and she heard Matt do the same.

"Well…at least she likes you," Sora told him as he got up and sat on the edge of the bed. "She usually doesn't like any of the guys I bring over."

"Really?" he asked. "What does that say about you?" Sora sat next to him, taking hold of his hand and leaning close, kissing him again. When their lips parted, his deep blue gaze was on her in a curious fashion.

"You don't pay attention to me like this at school," he said.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I've been trying to hold your hand all week, Sora. You brush me off sometimes during break. I tried looking for you at the tennis court after school today and you were in the drama club room."

"Okay, I can explain that last one. I lost track of my days and forgot it was supposed to be the day of costume-fitting, so I had to run around a lot."

Matt continued to stare at her, as though he was waiting for further explanation.

"You know me, Matt, I'm a busy girl, and I like to focus at school." Sora rested her head on his shoulder as she stroked his hand that she held. "Sometimes, I get carried away with everything I have to deal with."

"I know…" Matt sighed. "School is always on your mind. Just, don't forget to fit me in there."

Sora lifted her head up to meet his stare again. "I won't," she whispered. He stared back, as though searching her eyes to make sure. Then, his lips curled into a smile, and he moved his face to invite her lips to join his once again.

She pulled them both to fall back onto her bed, lips still touching, his hands now moving up her chest, her hands travelling downward. She couldn't help but be brought back to her very first time going all the way with a boy, although she was a few years younger and extremely curious. She remembered the touch of his skin under his shirt, the touch of his lips, his hair wild but tame and soft against her hands…

"Sora?"

She opened her eyes to see Matt watching her, and she realized her hand was on his hair, the tips held between her fingers.

"I always did like longer hair to play with," Sora said. "I guess you made the cut."

Matt laughed. "Did you really stop to tell me that?" he asked.

"I figured it was important to note."

"Anything else you want to note?"

"No. As you were."

He kissed her again and she kissed back, as they were. She wrapped her arms around him as he moved to kiss her elsewhere, feeling the gentle warmth of his breath on the nape of her neck, then up to just behind her ear. The slow sigh she breathed was one of relief, in that Matt chose not to question her even more about her response, which she knew, and which she had been trying to mask, that it wasn't him on her mind after all.


	7. mimi & tai & sora II

**\+ slow dance +**

 **\+ chapter seven +**

 **\+ mimi + tai + sora +**

* * *

 _ **Summary:** Mimi and Tai show each other their affection in unusual ways, and Sora realizes that she's not the only one with a broken heart._

* * *

 **\+ mimi +**

Tai was being distant, and Mimi was panicking.

Since he became soccer team captain, she felt that she barely saw him at school anymore. He was terrible at replying to any of her messages, and he always excused himself from spending time with her because either homework was stacking up or a game was in the near future.

She couldn't help but wonder what was really going on with him. What did Sora say, again? Whatever she said, maybe it was too good to be true.

He finally agreed to drive her home on a Thursday afternoon, which had him free from any of his supposed school commitments. He followed her up to her room, and dropped his backpack where he left his duffel bag a few days earlier, before slouching on the edge of her bed.

"I've missed you, Tai," she said, her hands on either of his shoulders from behind him, kissing one of them.

"We saw each other yesterday," he said, sounding tired.

"It's not the same," she said, placing another slow, delicate kiss on the side of his neck and then just under his chin. "I used to see you all the time, and I know it made you happy, like it makes me."

He remained emotionless, making her worry.

"I've been lonely," she said, kissing his cheek now. "Don't tell me you haven't felt the same."

Tai pulled back and turned his head to meet her gaze before she could plant another kiss.

"You have," she whispered, worrying less as he moved closer to her for her kiss to meet his lips. _Thank goodness, I brought him back to me,_ she thought. He crawled back onto the bed with her and she sat on her knees opposite him, pushing her body against his as she lifted his shirt up, her hands travelling up his sides. He helped her lift her top that she thought would take longer to unbutton, and then threw her bra aside for his lips to kiss along her chest.

"You really have," she said again, her voice louder but soft enough that she felt his goosebumps on the back of his neck. He didn't say a word and only held her close as she felt him move along to her beat. It was her always her dance, and it satisfied her to feel him match her quickening pace, their breaths aligning, their hearts pounding.

At one point he brought his hands to her hips, alerting her to stop her next move, and she saw him looking over to the side.

"My duffel bag," he began through catching his breath. "Was it like that before?"

"Oh, that?" Mimi said, looking at where he was staring. "I must've forgotten to close it." She turned to him, starting to wonder why his eyebrows were furrowing.

"So, you opened it?"

"I did. You left it here the other day, so I thought I would check what you have inside it."

Tai let go of her hips. Mimi furrowed her brows at him, now, tilting her head at him. "Is there something wrong, Tai?"

"Well, why are you looking through my things? Do you think I'm hiding something?"

Immediately feeling cautious, Mimi lifted herself up on her knees, distancing herself from him and crossing her arms. "Are you?"

"Of course I'm not, Mimi!" Tai said, his voice rising, which Mimi took as a sign of suspicion. "I'm not hiding anything from you! Don't you trust me?"

"I'm just making sure I can." Her eyes narrowed with his look of feigned skepticism. As she put her top back on, a buzzing sound was heard, and before Tai could reach into his pocket, Mimi got to his phone first.

"Mimi—" Tai said as Mimi hopped off of the bed, eyes focused on pushing the button on each sent message and her eyes flashed at him in anger.

"Oh, so you reply to other girls but you rarely send me anything back!" she said.

"Really?" he said, standing up from the bed, too. "You're going to yell at me for sending texts to Kari? My _sister_?"

"I'm your girlfriend!" she cried. "I can't help feeling insecure if you're talking to anyone other than me!"

Tai put his hands against his hair. "Why don't you just keep scrolling, then? I haven't sent a text to any other girl in months! My attention has been to you this whole time! You know the only other girl I would talk to either way is S—"

Mimi stared hard at Tai as he appeared with his breath caught in his throat. Sora, her best friend? Sora, _his_ best friend? Did he still not realize what was going on with her? Or did he, in fact, know, and was already talking to her about it, and even dealing with it _behind her back?_

"Tai," she said, quietly but feeling the anger rising. "Do I need to worry about Sora?"

"No, Mimi—"

" _Tell me,"_ she said, her voice louder and angrier now. " _Do I need to worry about Sora?"_

"What is _wrong_ with you, Mimi?" Tai yelled, his voice matching her anger now. "You're my girlfriend! I have no reason to talk to anyone else! I'm practically with you every waking moment already—"

"Is it so wrong that I want to be with you?!" she shrieked, eyes watering now. "Why are you acting like everything is my fault?! Is this why you rejected my sweet bread the other day?!"

Mimi couldn't handle the stress of being yelled at. He wasn't there when she wanted him to be, she loved him so much, but his neglect was shaking her faith in him. She turned from him, covering her face flooding with tears with her hands.

"Mimi…" she felt his hand touch her waist, to which she turned away. "Hey, come on, Mimi…"

She sobbed and sobbed into her hands, feeling misunderstood. It was then a new sound graced her ears, soft and low from the corner of her room. Tai had started playing a song with a soft melody, playing to a slow beat.

This time, he gently held her hands away from her face, which revealed her cheeks wet from the tears. His gaze deep in hers, he put her hands around his shoulders, then put his on her hips.

"What… what are we doing, Tai?" she asked with a sniffle.

"We're slow dancing, Mimi," he replied, gently leading her to sway with him.

"Why are we doing this?" Her crying had now stopped, and the sudden turn of the atmosphere left her confused.

"Well… it helps me to breath and calm down when things get to be too much. And I wanted to do it with you."

She stared at him anxiously, trying to understand. He pulled her close into an embrace as they continued to dance.

"I know it's nothing like you're used to," he went on. "But I also figured this might help you, too."

He was right; she absolutely hated this. She had a lot more fun dancing to music more upbeat, bouncing along to it whether it was with her friends or with a guy like him.

But it was the low-key moments between her and Tai where she could cherish being with him, feeling him against her, close enough to breathe in his musky scent. For being in love with him, it was something she could go along with.

* * *

 **\+ tai +**

The bell rang ending school session on Friday afternoon, and Tai heaved a sigh. The school week was finally over, there was no soccer to worry about, and Teacher decided to give the students a break from a test until the middle of next week.

He looked forward to meet up with his soccer mates in the hall to hang out somewhere in town, maybe at the movies or the arcade. He hadn't spent time with them in a while outside of practice, and it surprised them that he even asked them.

It was when he walked outside the hall that he was surprised himself, when he saw Mimi standing there and chatting animatedly with them.

"There you are!" she said, running to him and greeting with her usual kiss. "We've been waiting for you. I can't wait!"

"O-oh," said Tai, looking at his mates, who all had equally confused expressions.

"Ah—was I not supposed to come?" She tilted her head, now looking concerned.

"It's not that, Mimi. You're welcome to come along," said Tai, though he hid his slight disappointment.

"Good! You'll be glad to have me around!"

Mimi linked arms with him and pulled him close as they began their walk through the hallway towards the school exit. Tai couldn't help but feel guilty—he might have had too much of a heart to turn her down, or maybe he was nervous about another one of her sudden outbursts. Regardless of what he thought, his conclusion was to let her join them, even when he least expected it.

Was _that_ what Joe was talking about? He could hardly think of a time where Mimi wasn't around during his free time anymore. And her outburst the other day about wanting to be with him— _What in the world was that about?_ He already worried over school, and slow dancing was one of the few ideas he had left to temper her fury – Did he truly have enough resolve to handle a girl like her?

He wondered as he walked down the hallway with Mimi and his friends, but that wondering faded away when he noticed a pair of eyes looking at him, approaching from the opposite direction. It was Matt, walking with Sora, who was looking straight ahead. There was a noticeable distance between her and Matt that made Tai question whether they were still an item.

Sora must have seen where Matt was looking, because her gaze fell on Tai. There was no hostility in her eyes this time, but a stare he couldn't comprehend. He couldn't even think of what kind of wisecrack comment she would say at that moment had things been different, but right now, she stared long enough to fill him with intrigue.

Tai noticed, as Sora looked ahead again, she moved closer to Matt and took his hand to hold; and Tai noticed, on his other side, his arm feeling Mimi's tight grasp.

* * *

 **\+ sora +**

Sora took great care in paying attention to Matt's little worries. From the moment she ran into him on the way to school, she took his hand before even saying hello. She made sure to talk to him during breaks even when she was flagged down about her other school activities, and she even brought a packed lunch for him. And, before the last bell each day, she reminded him what club he could find her in after school.

Which was why it came to Sora's surprise when he met her at the end of tennis practice one afternoon to break up with her. She felt as though she was hit with a tennis ball aimed directly at her heart, the shock and pain from the blow making her actual tennis racket fall from her hands and bounce before falling flat on the floor.

"Senpai?" a first year on her team approached them from behind. Sora turned to her and saw that she appeared frozen in place, most likely after hearing Matt's words.

"We'll talk later," Sora told her, trying to sound calm, but feeling hurt, and noticing her own hands trembling. The first year nodded nervously before taking a brisk walk in the other direction.

When Sora turned to Matt, his hands were in his pockets, his guitar bag over his shoulder, and his saddened eyes watching her. She crossed her arms, taking a deep breath, ready to hear his reasoning.

"It's just bad timing," he explained. "I need to spend more time with the band; plus, we've got school to think about, and you've got your things. It's best for us to end this now."

"Oh…I see," Sora said. She turned around for her back to face him, hugging her chest, looking down on the ground. Was this really for the best? Matt was another thing to fit in her already busy schedule, but she liked fitting him into it and making it work. Being in the same year with him and going through the same ordeals since middle school gave her someone in him to relate to, and it saddened her knowing she would lose that.

Then again, maybe it really was for the best. It was nice to date him and she had her fun with him, but perhaps a demotion to being just friends, and getting some time back for herself was something she could tolerate. She could think about studying for their midterm exam even more.

"Alright, then," she said decisively, turning around with her arms uncrossed. "You've got a point, Matt. Let's break this off and just be friends. It'll be easier on the both of us."

She waited for Matt to say something when she noticed his expression changed from sorrow to distaste.

"I was expecting you to say that," he said, turning away from her, which puzzled her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, taking a step forward toward him. "Matt, seriously, what—"

"Everything!" he shouted suddenly, facing her. "All that you've been saying about exams, your clubs, they've all been excuses, haven't they?"

That touched a nerve for Sora. "Excuses?!"

"Not just that. Going out with Joe, too!"

She took a step back, stunned.

"You knew about that?"

"I did, and I can't believe I got caught up in this, either—Stupid, Matt…"

Matt stepped away, pacing back and forth. Sora knew she owed him an explanation, but what would she even say?

"Matt…" Sora approached him, wanting to face him as he kept turning away. "Matt, please—please know, I really do like you…"

" _Enough_ , Sora," he said with his trembling voice lowered, making her stop in her tracks with his back turned to her now. "I like you, too… I just can't look at you when you tell me that. Not when I've known all along that I was never on your mind…"

Sora was starting to realize just how much Matt felt for her.

"No, Matt, that's not true…" she started to say, maybe out of remorse, but he kept going.

"Am I lying, Sora? Am I? I think you better ask that question for yourself. Maybe you're afraid of admitting it, so then you create your excuses to mask it. Face the truth, or else you'll end up hurting more people."

 _Face the truth?_

The sound of footsteps against the asphalt were heard just then, and both she and Matt turned to see someone approaching in the distance. He was still a few yards away when he stopped, but anyone could recognize his long, bushy hair from afar.

"I better get to rehearsal," said Matt, and when Sora turned to him, he was now facing her again. "It's too bad you never had time to see me play."

She watched him walk away, at a loss in finding words of comfort for him, or even for herself. The bond between them was not only tainted, but battered, bruised, and broken, perhaps just like his heart.

"You say it'll be easier for you?" Matt told her before he left. "Well, congratulations, Sora. We can break this off, but don't expect us to be friends from here on out."

With that, Matt walked off, leaving her speechless. At least, Joe was subtle about the subject, but Matt—Matt went off on her with no holds barred. Sora hugged her shoulders feeling nothing but discomfort, not because of Matt yelling at her and leaving her alone, but because Tai hadn't moved from where he stood.

He was supposed to run to her, and ask if she was okay, then cheer her up with one of his bad jokes. He would have her spare the details, then buy her a burger at the diner near the school.

Her heart wanted to push her to believe that he would embrace her before heading to the diner, tell her everything would be okay, and then, maybe even kiss her.

Sora turned from him and ran off the tennis court in the other direction, her eyes with a watery sting, her heart beating like a drum. Whatever truth she was meant to face, she would rather keep running from it.

* * *

.

.

.

.

 **Author Notes:** One of my favorite scenes is in this chapter – the end of Tai's POV as the two couples pass each other in the hallway. Just one of those that I pictured in my head in slow motion. No one utters a word, but their small reactions speak volumes.


	8. tai & sora & mimi II

**\+ slow dance +**

 **\+ chapter eight +**

 **\+ tai + sora + mimi +**

* * *

 _ **Summary**_ _: Tai tries to hold himself together, Sora loses her mind, and Mimi snaps._

* * *

 **\+ tai +**

Tai lost his house key.

He discovered it missing the moment he reached the locker room after school when his car keys dropped from his backpack. Normally, the house key was linked to them; did he forget to connect them again?

"Captain!" the coach called when he saw Tai turning his backpack and duffel bag upside down. "Why aren't you in your uniform yet?!"

"I'm sorry, coach," he said, in a slight panic. "My key…Mom's going to kill me if she finds out."

"Fine, fine." Coach swatted him away. "We'll start practice without you."

Tai was relieved. Teacher lectured him earlier that day about the 76% on his last quiz, and went on about the importance of his grade for the upcoming midterm. He was grateful that Coach let him off easy then.

He began to retrace his steps, going around the locker room, checking the corners, sides, and underneath the benches, in case the key fell and slid somewhere.

Then, on the way back to the main building, he called Mimi, who said she was going straight home after school to start packing for her trip to America.

"Miss me already?" she asked with a tease.

"Mimi, I lost my house key," he said nervously. "Have you seen it anywhere?"

"Oh no! Do you want me to come back? I can help you find it—"

"No, no, it's okay. I probably just dropped it somewhere. If it turns up, just let me know, okay?"

"Alright, then. Call me later."

They hung up, and a thought crossed his mind to ask Mimi if she took it. She had gone through his things before; maybe they would turn up in her room in some way, and she would yell defensively about his carelessness about his keys, and then his carelessness about her.

But, why would she take them, anyway?

As he entered the main building, he saw a few students still lingering around the hallways. Some heading to their own clubs, some heading home. He stopped every student he passed by, all who gave the same answer.

"Did you lose something?" he heard from the next person from the corner of his eye, who he was ready to ask.

"Yeah, my—" he stopped when he looked up, her amber eyes waiting for him to respond. She carried a stack of different colored fabric, folded neatly in front of her. "I lost my house key, Sora."

"Are you that much of a basket case right now to misplace that?" she asked.

It was a reply he expected from her, even when he knew he wasn't in the mood to return a witty response.

A girl passed the two of them, and Sora flagged her down. "Bring these to the drama club room," she told her. "I'll be there in a bit."

"Sora, you must be busy—" Tai began.

"They can wait. I'll check the classroom. Have you checked soccer room already? Maybe check the restroom, and your locker, too."

Sora turned and walked down the hall before he could continue his protest. He turned around to continue his search, curious about her sudden change of attitude with him. Was she okay with talking to him again?

After finding an empty locker and a bathroom with not even a speck of dust, Tai walked out to find Sora waiting for him outside.

"No luck," he said with a sigh.

"Well, maybe they dropped on the floor at your house," Sora said, sounding hopeful as she began to walk. "Kari always leaves after you anyway, right?"

"I hope that's the case. I don't know how else they would go missing."

"You tend to forget little things when you're overwhelmed. It's just in your nature."

Tai groaned, putting his head in his hands. "Mom's going to kill me! And I'll never hear the end of it from Kari."

"They'll live, Tai, and so will you."

He looked to Sora who was laughing as she smiled. He was surprised to see her relaxed like this, the hostility completely gone, her friendly, playful nature back in full force with her. Something was up.

"Did something happen, Sora?" he asked her.

Sora stopped in her tracks, the curls from her lips now straightened, and Tai realized that he had walked with her to the front of the drama club room. The changed expression on her face led him to remember the other day at the tennis court, when he saw Matt walking away from her. Either they were having a fight, or maybe…

"I have to go, Tai," she said suddenly. "I can't keep the girls waiting—they need me to alter some of the costumes I made."

The same scene played again. She turned to walk. His hand reaching for her shoulder to stop her. Frustration returned to him, and he was sick of her leaving his questions unanswered.

"Tai? There you are!" Mimi had appeared from the corner of the hallway. She ran to him, eyes full of worry. "Did you find them?"

"No, they're not anywhere at school," he told her, and she frowned.

"I truly hope they turn up for you, Tai," said Sora, and both he and Mimi turned to her.

"You must have been a big help!" Mimi ran forward to give her a tight hug. "You're an amazing friend!"

"Don't mention it," she said. "Keep me updated. I'll let you know if I find anything."

Sora walked into the drama club room. Tai wanted to step forward to stop her again—only this time, he was already in Mimi's embrace.

"At least you still have your car keys, right?" Mimi said. "I know you still have practice. Do you want me to wait for you?"

From the open door, Tai could see Sora smiling and laughing with the members of the drama club. He wanted to skip practice altogether and wait for her so they could talk, and finally get the explanations he had been waiting for.

But, it wouldn't be fair to Mimi. She went out of her way to come back to school for him, even when he asked her not to.

Hugging her in return, he kissed her lips with a smile.

"I'll meet you at the bleachers when I'm done," he told Mimi, though, he hoped he would get to talk to Sora soon.

* * *

 **\+ sora +**

After Matt dumped her, Sora decided to put her grand, failed plan to rest. There were no other friends she could think to ask out, and she didn't want to bother thinking about any other potentials that could possibly be wandering around school whose hearts she would end up crushing.

She heard the whispers from the other girls, but she believed them—she was a heart-breaker, and it was a painful reminder seeing Matt a few rows across from her in class every day. She noticed that he used to steal glances at her from time to time, even before she asked him out. Now, he didn't even bat an eye.

Teacher ended class that day with a not-so-subtle reminder about the midterms, and that she hoped everyone was starting to prep for entrance exams. Sora sat up a little taller, looking forward to putting her straying focus toward those.

Then, the bell rang, and the rest of the class started to move, some of them jumping up immediately and rocketing straight to the door. She felt a whoosh as she packed her notebook into her schoolbag, seeing that Tai had walked up the row from behind her, quickly heading for the door before Teacher could figure out what to yell at him about this time.

Tai… She wanted to make amends with him, truly. But she knew him enough to know how inquisitive he became, and she wasn't sure how to jump through that hoop with him…

She definitely was really looking forward to those exams.

"Hey," she heard from the opposite side, and saw Matt standing there. She shot up from her desk, caught by surprise.

"M-Matt," she stumbled. "…How's it going?"

"I'm not here for small talk, Sora," he said, and he held out his hand, revealing a familiar key chain, the shape of a sun with the words _'A summer to remember…'_ , and on it—

"That's Tai's key!" Sora said with a gasp. "Where did you find it?"

"The boys' bathroom. That idiot must have dropped it in there."

"I did tell him to look in there…" Sora muttered to herself, then she looked to Matt again. "You could still catch him. He probably hasn't left yet."

Matt shook his head. "I'm giving it to you. You probably wanted to give it to him, anyway."

He took her hand with both of his and enclosed the key in it.

"Matt…" she said, his hands feeling warm and comfortable against hers. He let go of her hand and then went on his way.

"I'm sure you've got those exams to study for, Sora. I'll see you around."

* * *

Sora walked all over school, looking for Tai to return his key, and couldn't find him at all. She stopped by his usual spots, all of which others said they hadn't seen him. She even looked for Mimi, to no avail.

She passed by the parking lot to check for his car, which wasn't there. Did he drive today, or walk? She never did keep track.

Sora found herself in front of the Yagami residence, where Kari answered the door.

"Hi, Sora!" she said, smiling cheerfully. "Tai's not here, but you probably knew that."

When Sora held up the sun keychain with the key, Kari threw her head back with a laugh. "How did I know that _you_ would bring it over?"

Kari invited her in for tea and had her sit on the floor by the living room table. As she served the refreshments, she began her typical chitchat.

"You couldn't find him at all?" she began. "He's probably hanging out with Mimi, then. Where else would he be, nowadays? I'm sure he would've been fine with a text from you."

"I beg to differ," Sora added, and she watched as Kari's face light up with joyful laughter.

"That's so true! Knowing how Mimi can get."

Seeing Kari smile always brought a smile to her face. It was almost the same way as seeing Tai smile. How long had it been since she saw it?

"You know, Mom finally let me invite TK over," Kari continued. "I mean, finally, right? He's coming over soon, he's bringing the snacks. He's really sweet, and he can be really cute sometimes. What do you think about him, Sora? Obviously, you've seen Matt a lot more than you've hung out with TK, but…"

Sora couldn't tell how long Kari ran her mouth as she stared at her. It amused her how her brother had the longer hair and Kari had hers shorter. Their facial features were similar, Sora noticed, their eyes, for certain, her nose and lips, she had to take a closer look.

"What are you doing, Sora?" she might've heard Kari ask, but she was too distracted in her curiosity, her palms walking her closer to Kari's face. It was almost captivating to see so much of him in her. She lost herself in a daydream, sitting in front of him, carefully moving forward to press her lips against his. He closed his eyes and she closed hers, feeling the soft, sweet kisses between them.

"Sora?"

She opened her eyes and was immediately stunned. Her face was inches away from Kari's, whose eyes were showing confusion mixed with curiosity.

"Kari…" Sora said with a gasp, and then there was a thud. She and Kari turned their heads to see a speechless TK at the front door, where he had just dropped a bag full of snacks.

Kari sat back on her knees and put her fingers to her lips with a pause. Sora started to feel dizzy with panic. Did she just…?

She did. She made out with Kari.

Only Kari didn't seem to mind.

"What was that on your lips, Sora?" she asked. "I like the feel of it. Yummy, too. Was it lip gloss? I need to buy some…"

Sora flailed her hands around her, hoping they would land on her backpack to make her escape.

"I… I should… I have a qui… a test… I should go…" She got up once her hands found her backpack after speaking barely-formed sentences, then quickly headed out of the Yagami house.

"Tai is totally missing out," Sora heard Kari tell TK as she made her exit.

* * *

 **\+ mimi +**

It was Thursday before her trip with her family to America, and Mimi was sad about leaving Tai.

She hopped out of her desk when the bell rang for the first break, and was the first to enter the hall. She planned to stop by Tai's classroom to sit with him from bell-to-bell. She already had lunch planned out underneath their usual tree, and then to meet him at soccer club after school.

She passed by the class next door to Tai's in which the second person entered the hall. Turning to him, Mimi instantly recognized who he was.

"Hey, Izzy! What have you been up to?"

Izzy's expression was not friendly but it was of caution, maybe even fear. He backed away from her, slowly, only to bump into the third person from behind him.

"Oops, sorry, Izzy," said Sora. When he turned and saw Sora, his eyes grew even wider. He broke into a run, bumping into more students who were entering the hallway. She stood and watched with Mimi as they both shared the same confused expression. "What's up with him?"

Mimi shrugged. "He usually avoids me," she said. "I think he listens to all the rumors about me. I don't know why he would be running away from you, though."

There was a long silence before Sora answered. "Yeah... me neither."

But when Mimi followed Sora back to her classroom, Tai wasn't there, and during lunch, Mimi sat alone at the tree. She was fuming.

"You might as well break up with me now!" Mimi shouted at Tai in the hallway after school, just as students spilled out of their classrooms. "You completely blew me off all day! All I want to do is spend time with you before I leave!"

"Mimi, calm down, can't we talk about this somewhere els—"

"No! We are talking about this right here, right now!" Mimi stared up at him feeling defiant.

"Okay— _fine!_ " Tai stared back, his eyes just as fiery. Mimi could see through her peripheral that they were now surrounded by onlooking students. "Maybe I did blow you off, Mimi. And do you want to know why? It's because I needed a break from you!"

Mimi scoffed. "A break from _me_?"

"That's right—I have homework, I have midterm exams, even entrance exams! I have soccer, I have all these things taking up my time. I need a break from everything sometimes, and, yeah, that includes from you, too!"

"So what, then, Tai? Does that make me a chore to you, now?! I can't believe think of me like that! How dare you?!" Mimi let out her gasping sobs, holding the back of her hands to her watering eyes. "I thought I meant more to you than that!"

Tai stepped back from her with a look of disappointment, his hands thrown in front of him. "This is exactly why I needed a break, Mimi! You're not listening to me! I can't catch a break with you! I'm with you all the damn time, and you're always so _fucking dramatic_ when I say I can't be with you!"

Mimi paused, surprised at his level of anger and forceful tone. She was used to his much calmer persona, and found herself at a loss at how to react to him now. Eventually, his shoulders lowered, his arms fell to his sides, and his eyes and head turned to the floor.

"Maybe I can't be with you at all, Mimi. Maybe you're right. I might as well break up with you."

Mimi gasped, her hand held to her mouth. Audible gasps were heard around them, followed by hushed, rapid whispers.

"You don't mean that…" Mimi reached her hand out, walking toward, and he turned to the side. "Tai…"

Head still toward the ground, Tai walked away quickly, pushing himself through the crowd.

Mimi collapsed to her knees, eyes wide and trembling, as though Tai ripped her heart out and left with it.

"Mimi…?" Sora emerged from the dispersing crowd of students, but Mimi couldn't bear to look at her.

"Leave me alone…" she said quietly, her tears dripping from her cheeks. At that moment, she loathed Sora, who might have dealt her hand in Tai's heart-wrenching decision.

"Call me if you need anything," Sora said, and as Mimi heard the sound of Sora's footsteps gradually lower to silence, she knew she also adored Sora, her best and only friend, and she wanted to go back to swapping dating stories and badmouthing boys while eating pastries and ice cream.

She stayed, collapsed on the floor, for hours, sobbing for a while until she stopped feeling the need to. From time to time, she held up her phone to send Tai another text, knowing he was at his soccer match, ignoring her either way.

Eventually, the hallway darkened as the light from the sun lowered from the hallway windows, and a new illumination rose from the moon. The match was probably over then, she thought, and the boys were cleaning up after a long game. She finally rose from her spot, grabbing her things, and headed toward the locker room.

When she walked in, the room was empty, save for Tai's things on the edge of the bench, where she set her things down next to his. Only the sound of running water was heard from the showers past the locker room, and it only motivated Mimi to follow that sound.

There he was, by the door, with only a towel around his waist. He faced the wall leaning against it with his head down.

"Why are you here?" he asked, without looking up.

"I wanted to talk to you," she said gently, carefully. "About us."

"You yelled at me in front of everyone, Mimi," he said, quietly. "You yelled… and so did I."

"I was really upset," she said, her eyes falling with tears once again.

"And I didn't tell you where I was all day. I should have, Mimi, I'm sorry…"

"Tai…" She turned him towards her, cupping his face with her hands. "Don't scare me like that… saying that you want to break up…"

She brought his face down to her so that she could press her lips on his. It eased her mind the more he kissed back, feeling his hands close around her, as though he never wanted to let her go.

As she pulled away from his lips, she gave him a sweet smile, and she felt her tears drying already.

"I'll wait for you in the locker room," she said, but Tai stared with something else in mind.

"I don't want to keep you waiting," he said, and his arm reached for the door knob, turning the lock, before wrapping around her again to bring her back into a kiss, her heart igniting. Soon after, her clothes fell, and so did his towel. Her lips melting into his, she jumped to wrap her legs around him and he held her as he carried her with him underneath the running shower.

She relished his toned muscles against her as their lips joined and parted in slow, tender rhythm, his arms and shoulders tight from holding her; and as she held onto his hair, she felt him slide in, letting the rushing waterfall overhead mute their echoes escaping them as they moved like waves rising and falling along the seawater.

As they dropped to the tiled floor, he crawled to her in his heavy breath, pulling her back into his arms and kissing her forehead. It was then that she was convinced, that she was leaving him on her trip for a while, but he was going to stay with her forever.


	9. sora x tai

**\+ slow dance +**

 **\+ chapter nine +**

 **\+ sora x tai +**

* * *

 _ **Summary**_ _: Sora gets careless with putting her guard up. Tai takes his chances, but starts to wonder why._

* * *

 **\+ sora +**

"A job well done, once again, Takenouchi."

"Hmm?" Sora rested against her palm when she turned to Teacher standing above her, holding a piece of paper with another good score—100%.

"Don't tell me you're becoming a space cadet like Yagami over there."

"Oh, it's not that. It's just—exams and everything."

"Ah, yes, the _midterms_." Teacher accented the last word as she whirled around to the class, then turned back to Sora. "You're doing extremely well. Don't push yourself too hard."

Sora was definitely telling the truth that time around. Even on days she went home late from either tennis or sewing costumes together, she made it a point to take out a text book or a review guide to study, even if she lost track of time and scribbled notes well past midnight.

As she put her hand to her mouth for a yawn, she heard Teacher's tone change from friendly to stern behind her, and she could only guess who she was talking to.

"It's time you started staring out the window less, Yagami. You're friends with Takenouchi over there, right? Ask her to help you for the midterms."

The thought woke her right up, making her sit up straighter, her shoulders tensing up. Why didn't Teacher say anyone else? She turned over her shoulder to face Tai— _Why did she turn?_ –with him staring back at her.

He looked at her as though he planned to ask her, but she already planned to run out the door at the last bell. She couldn't agree to helping him, not when Mimi was out of town, not after what happened with Joe, or Matt, or even Kari. She already ran out of excuses to give for why she couldn't do it—what was she going to do?

"Sora."

She looked up again and Tai now stood where Teacher stood just moments ago. The classmates surrounding them were already heading out. Did the last bell ring already?

"Hey," he spoke again, and she only stared back. She readied her guard toward him, wanting to deny his company, wanting to say, "I can't help you this time, Tai."

But he stood there, awaiting her response, appearing hesitant but wearing a smile.

"Hey," she replied, holding her stomach in hopes to stop the fluttering.

* * *

Sora sat at the table across from Tai in her room. She looked up at him, seeing his head down in his notebook, his hand scribbling with his pencil. His eyes squinted and his forehead wrinkled, appearing in sheer concentration. She found it incredibly cute.

When he looked up, she darted back to her notes in front of her, hoping that he didn't catch her staring.

Tai groaned, setting his notebook flat on the table. "This problem is killing me!" he said as though he was filled with agony. "I can't get the right answer at all."

"Don't be a baby," Sora said, setting her own notebook down. "Let me see which one." She moved over to his side to look over his scribbles. "I can't even tell which number this problem is, Tai."

"Excuse me for not having perfect handwriting."

After rolling her eyes at him, she took her notebook to compare with his.

"Tai, this is all wrong," she said, turning the pencil over to erase his work. "Here, let me show you how to do this."

She was so focused on writing out numbers and lining the formulas that she started wondering where that musky scent was coming from.

"You always smell like strawberries, Sora," Tai said, and she looked to see him staring at her, with his chin hovering just above her shoulder.

"Oh, w-well…" she stammered, blushing as she turned away and tucked her hair behind her ear. "It's the lip gloss. It's scented."

Tai laughed. "Why are you embarrassed? I don't think it's a bad thing at all. I've just always liked the smell."

"It's a common flavor. I'm sure the girls you've kissed before might've had it on them." Sora turned to him again so she could see his face, but he never moved from her shoulder.

"None seem to come to mind, except…"

He didn't keep his eyes off her, and her racing heart only guessed what he remembered from back then, and what he thought about doing now. She rubbed her lips together solely from being anxious.

"I suppose the taste is nothing special to you, then," she said, trying to remain calm, although him inching closer did not help her at all.

"Maybe I just need to be reminded of it."

Sora was frozen—was she even breathing? She could feel the soft breath from him, their lips nearly touching. His eyes were on hers, moving down to her lips until he closed them as he met her with a kiss.

Her lips moved with his, but her eyes remained wide open, and she was too stunned to comprehend what was happening. Her eyes followed his hand that pushed her notebook out of the way, then reached hers to lift the pencil free from her hand so he could lace his fingers with hers. He pushed himself closer to her, and with his tongue slipping into her mouth, she wondered if she should stop him.

She breathed his name between a kiss. Was he even listening? She held onto his arms, leaning backward until her back met the floor.

Did she even care if he was? He responded with kiss after soft kiss, the strawberry blending well with his lips. She ran her hands through his hair…his long, luscious brown hair…

"Yes, Sora?" he finally whispered softly into her ear, chills running rampant on her body. Why did she want to stop him, again? She was distracted by the warmth of his lips on her neck, and his hands on her slightly bent knees, making their way up her skirt. She sensed mischief in his laugh, and for the short time he held his kisses back, she longed to feel him on her again.

Until she felt her panties sliding off with the tips of his fingers down her thighs, only followed by his lips tracing the steps back, his face disappearing into her skirt.

She could barely say his name again with her cries, with her hands gripping his shoulders, knowing then and there that her lip gloss wasn't the only part of her that he wanted to taste, and that she could let him go as long as he wanted.

"You were calling for me?" he asked when he reappeared, crawling back up to her with a smirk.

"I hate you," she said through her moan, throwing her arms around his neck to lock him into her kisses. Her fingers found their way to his hair again, and his found their way down her bra through her already unbuttoned top. She wanted him to take the rest of it off and let his hands keep moving. She wanted to get up and push him down to thrust herself onto him, just like she did, once before…

That was, until she felt a buzz from his pocket.

Their hands stopped moving and she propped herself up, her eyes meeting Tai's in horrified realization as it buzzed and buzzed.

"Are you going to answer that?" she asked.

He looked to the phone in his quickened breath and stared for a while. Each buzz raised her level of panic. It was over for them now. He could answer it, and she would lose her best friend on either end of that phone conversation.

"It's up to you, Sora," he replied. She stared at him, her breathing as quick as his, and his eyes full of want for nothing but her. She decided to stop caring and reached to pull the phone out of his pocket, feeling the button under her thumb and pushed to end it—

"Mimi, hey."

Sora opened her eyes in a dark room, awoken by nearby chatter. Her head lay flat against school desk, and her hand rested next to her enclosed on a pencil. She felt something covering her shoulders and back, and realized it was a school blazer, although, it wasn't hers. As she jolted up in her seat, seeing the open windows reveal a dark moonlit sky, she realized that she had fallen asleep while studying in the empty drama club room, and that she had woken up from a dream she dreamt many times before.

But of all places, to dream it at _school_ …

"I'm going home soon, I just stayed really late for a match…Oh, yeah—I'll definitely call you when I get home, don't worr—Yeah, I miss you, too."

The classroom door was open, and Sora saw the light peering from it, along with a shadow of someone walking nearby. Sora felt paralyzed in fear when she realized that shadow and that voice belonged to Tai.

How long had he been there? _What did he hear?_ Sora jumped up and forced all her notebooks and pencils into her bag—she could organize it later—and thought to sneak out of there while Tai's back was turned from her.

But as she walked out, thinking that he wasn't looking, she felt his hand on her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks.

* * *

 **\+ tai +**

Tai didn't expect to find Sora in the drama club room that evening.

Another match was done and dusted. His team won, thanks to his face diving against the dirt to direct the ball towards his goal post. The team's morale had been pretty low before that win, with having a string of losses, and with all those times yelling at his teammates from the pressure. He wondered whether the buildup of the stress only escalated his public shouting match with Mimi before she left for her trip, causing him to say things he didn't mean.

Those things he said to her… he wondered about, too.

After the game, he debated on getting the folder he forgot in his locker at the main building, but ultimately decided to retrieve it. It was an odd feeling, walking without Mimi on his arm, or seeing her appear at any corner at any given time. He couldn't wait to see her when she returned, but, if anything, he might have felt a little lighter now.

With Mimi away, he thought that perhaps catching up on studying would get Teacher off his back, as she had been on him with no exception earlier that day. Teacher had caught him staring out of the open window again, though he had already gotten bored of it by the time she did; the sun never stopped shining, and the scent of the flowers seemed to entice him for a moment, but those moments kept fading quickly every time.

He only turned to face the window from the moment Sora looked up to see Teacher singing her praises, just as he noticed his head had been facing her direction for a while already. Sora had been difficult to catch lately; especially after she found his keys, she was like a flash of lightning that disappeared the moment he noticed her presence. He couldn't talk to Mimi about it; he wondered how badly she would overreact if he so much as mentioned a girl's name.

He wondered why mentioning Sora would have been the worst of all.

Teacher called Tai out, and then called Sora out, opening up his shot at finally catching her strike. He could finally find out why she had been acting strange toward him, what did he do wrong, how she started dating Matt—what did she _see_ in Matt, really?

He expected her to bolt at the bell, but she remained seated at her desk. The moment he approached her at the end of class, he realized her distant behavior, the lines under her eyes, telling him that he should interrogate her another time.

"Go home and rest, Sora, you might be working too hard," he told her with a smile.

"You're right, I guess I will," she said, smiling back. He rubbed her shoulder before walking past her, ignoring the vibrations in his pocket, and out the classroom door.

He didn't expect to find Sora in the drama club room, but he wasn't surprised he caught her avoiding him again.

"What happened to going home?" he asked, after ending the call with Mimi.

"I figured the club had some things for me to work on, so I thought I'd stop by," Sora replied, not turning to face him at all. "They finished early, so I decided to hang back to study." She walked forward, letting his hand on her shoulder slip off from her.

"Let me take you home, Sora," he said. "I'll drive you."

"I'm fine walking home." She took a few steps forward.

"It's dark out. I don't want you walking alone."

He watched her tense up, and anticipated the hostility in her voice.

"I'm said, I'm _fine_ , Tai—"

"I _miss_ you, Sora."

He heard his voice echo through the hall, and he realized he said it louder than he realized. She stopped walking, he stood frozen. He felt a buzz—no, his phone was in his hand laying perfectly still, and what he felt was more of a bump—the bumps getting faster as Sora faced him.

"Okay," she said, and as she walked toward him, averting her eyes toward the other side from where he stood, he realized she was still wearing his blazer from when he put it on her when he found her asleep. He turned around to walk her to his car, wondering why his heart was racing.

* * *

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 **Author Note** : You might have noticed there's a spot in the beginning where I didn't put a '+' and put a 'x' instead. There are no typos, math doesn't lie.  
'Til next update ;)


	10. tai

**\+ slow dance +**

 **\+ chapter ten +**

 **\+ tai +**

* * *

 _ **Summary**_ _: Tai hopes to get clarity by the time he gets home, but ends up going home even more confused._

* * *

It used to be typical for Tai to join Sora on his way home. On most days after school, their club schedules coincided, and they met up to either walk together, or for Tai to drive them home. He talked openly and she did the same about all sorts of things, such as what songs he despised on the car radio, or what book she recommended to him even though they both knew he would never get to it. Tai and Sora bickered, teased each other, and laughed together until they reached their street and parted to their homes.

Sometimes, it wasn't out of the ordinary for Tai to voyage home alongside Sora without any words shared; only tranquil silence fell between them as they both kept their thoughts to themselves.

Tai found it hard not to compare those times to tonight, where the silence was almost unbearable from the moment he drove his car out of the parking lot. Sora sat in the passenger seat, legs pressed together and hands resting on her lap, and her head looking at the window on her side.

Why was she making it so difficult for him? Or, rather, why was he freaking out about this? His heart beat calmed as he drove past a few intersections, but his mind raced with how to break the deafening quiet between them.

"School Festival is right around the corner," said Tai when they were stopped at a red light. "Is that why you've been hanging out more at drama club lately?"

"Well, you know how they can get," she replied, airily. "Script rewrites, actor switch-ups, costume changes… They're always making it so difficult for themselves."

Sora continued staring at the opened convenient store on the street corner.

"I heard you won another match," Tai continued, hoping for her to look his way. "You haven't lost a single one this year."

"I've been practicing so much. I suppose it's paying off now."

"You make it look so easy." Tai laughed as he said that, but was disheartened to see her head still toward the same direction. The stoplight signaled him to continue driving along, and the longer he drove, the more he tried to force himself to accept her unwillingness to talk.

It wasn't until a long silence later that she replied back.

"It's not as easy as it looks, Tai," she said, though she was still looking out her window.

"Don't be so modest, Sora. You even have Teacher fawning over your spectacular grades."

"You say that with such disdain."

"Haven't you noticed? She hates me."

Tai's eyes were on the road, but he heard Sora laugh. "She picks on you a lot, but I think she cares about you. She wants what's best for you."

Tai launched into his explanation about why he disagreed, detailing the times Teacher lectured him on a quiz during class, and when she pulled him back after class when everyone else left for the end of the school day. He even threw in his gripes about the pressure of being team captain, and that he chose to go to the university closest to home so that Teacher would get off his back, even though his future remained undecided.

"We're all on the same boat, Tai," Sora said once he paused from spilling everything that swam in his head for what he felt was a long time. "Some of us know exactly what we want to be, and some of us have no idea. We all have our fears, and that's okay. That's just how it is. Even I'm afraid of what might happen in the future."

"But, you're Sora. You're fearless."

Tai pulled into the driveway of his house and moved the gear to park. He noticed then that Sora had turned to face him, and she scoffed followed by a giggle.

"You think so highly of me, Yagami Taichi."

Tai leaned against his chair with a mix of emotions, all from letting those things off his chest, and from Sora lending an ear, as opposed to him seeing her back constantly turned from him. He saw that Sora leaned back in her chair, smiling at him with her cheeks slightly pink.

"I haven't talked to you like this in a while, you know," he said, smiling, and he noticed her cheeks turn even pinker.

"W-Well…" he noticed her stumbling words, something he knew that she did when she was nervous. She looked down at her fidgeting hands on her lap. "You and I… have been occupied with more than just school, haven't we?"

' _You and I'_ …

"Oh, that's right…" he said, looking away, feeling nervous himself. "Me and Mimi… You and… and Matt…"

That was one thing neither of them divulged with each other—relationships, dating… sex. They only so much as mentioned a name of whomever they dated in passing conversation, but never said anything further. But now that they were both dating friends…Why did Tai feel more uncomfortable than before?

"Matt and I have been over for a while," she said, and Tai immediately turned his head to her in surprise.

"Really?"

Sora eyed him, as though taken aback by his sudden reaction.

"I'd rather not talk about it." Her focus was put on twiddling her thumbs, and Tai noticed her troubled expression.

"Cheer up, Sora," he said. "We guys have no idea what we want in a relationship anyway."

Her thumbs stopped twiddling, and Sora looked up at him, eyebrows furrowing.

"Does that go for you, too?"

"I—" Tai felt his voice caught in his throat, as though his mind wiped blank on what to say next. "Well—that's not—"

"…Point taken," Sora said, though now he was avoiding eye contact with her. He was only trying to cheer her up, but why was he worrying about what he said? Did he really mean—

Suddenly, Sora burst into laughter.

"I'm sorry—Tai—your chin—"

Tai looked at her, extremely clueless as she tried to breath out her words.

"You have dirt on you," she explained. He wiped his hand on his chin, noticing specks of dirt falling off, then looked in the car visor mirror to see a huge smudge below the side of his mouth.

"How the hell did you let me walk around like this?" Tai asked, scowling at her.

"I'm sorry—I'm laughing more than I should—We've been talking this whole time—" she laughed some more, wiping her eyes.

"Hey, I had to dive block for us to win the game," he told her with the need to boast. "It was pretty heroic."

"I'm sure all the girls fall for that, Tai. I just see you fall on your face."

He narrowed his eyes at her, though mostly in mockery, and she stared back with her eyebrows raised. It only made her crack a smile, then break into laughter again. The sounds of him joining along with her comforted him—it had been too long since they were together like they were now.

"Let me get that for you," said Sora, finding a handkerchief as she calmed herself. She leaned over the center armrest until her face as close enough to inspect the dirt on his chin. Silence fell between them as Sora wiped the dirt away, the cloth soft on his chin with her careful touch.

"Done. What would you do without me, Tai?" she asked. He noticed her looking up at him, her eyes lighting up with the fire he was so used to seeing in her; although, there was something different to him this time. He didn't say some self-serving comment to ignite her for any challenge; there wasn't a soccer ball on hand. It was just him, and her, alone in his car, and that familiar aroma he only got a whiff of whenever he happened to be this close to her.

He was intrigued.

"Strawberries…" he thought, although he realized he said it aloud when the fire in her eyes blew out, and she now had a look of horror as she sat further away from him.

"Sora, what's wr—"

She pushed the door on her side open, jumping out of his car with her bag.

"Sora! Wait up!" Tai hurried out of his side, meeting her at the hood of his car. There was no smiling, no aggression, only panic on her face.

"Mimi," she said, her voice heightened. "She can be a handful, and albeit very, _very_ temperamental but she's very sweet and has a kind heart."

Tai stepped toward her, confused. "I know that, Sora. It's not like I haven't known her for as long as you have."

"She's my best friend, Tai! I want her to be happy. You're my best friend, too, so the same goes for you!" For every step Tai took toward her, Sora took a step back. It only brought back Tai's frustration.

"I get that, Sora, I really do. What I don't get is why. Why are you acting like this? Why _have you_ been acting like this?" He stepped forward.

"Like what…?" She stepped back.

"Don't give me that!" Tai yelled irritably. "If you're so happy for me dating her, why have you been avoiding me?"

"I've told you already, Tai!" she said, raising her voice now. "There's just been so much I—"

" _Bullshit_ , Sora! Tell me what's really going on!"

"I can't!"

Sora stopped, and so did Tai. She turned around, and he realized they were under the bright lampposts on the sidewalk, in front of the house that stood between each of theirs.

"I can't talk to you," she started, her voice now down to a quiver. "Not when you're with her. You haven't talked to me either, not when you're with her. Have you ever thought about that, Tai?"

 _All the time_ , he thought.

"Think about this moment between us, right now," she continued shakily. "I would have walked home alone if she was here. Maybe I was better off doing that tonight, anyway."

Even through the guilt seeping through, he couldn't let her detract him from his anger toward her behavior.

"Listen, Sora, if you're trying to blame me—"

"I'm not, Tai!" she whirled around, heatedly, voice raised again. "If anything, I'm the one to blame! It's all my fault, just like it was with Matt! I messed up with him, and with Joe, and with Kari!"

"Joe? Kari?" Tai approached her cautiously, still utterly confused. She stood there, her head now in her hands. "Sora, what are you talking about?"

"I'm not as perfect as you think, Tai," she said, turning as he tried to reach for her shoulder. "I messed up with Matt, and I lost him because of it. At this rate, I'm going to lose Mimi, and then I'm going to lose you."

Tai still didn't understand where Sora's erratic behavior stemmed from, but he hated seeing her crumbling, and it worried him especially hearing those last few words.

"Taichi!" Tai's mother appeared behind him, appearing stern with her hands on her hips, along with Kari following behind with a look of worry. On the other side of the sidewalk stood Sora's mother, arms crossed with a disapproving look toward him. She never seemed to like him.

"Why are you two having a shouting match in the middle of the neighborhood?!" Sora's mother asked crossly. "I was about to call the police!"

That was when Tai noticed there were a few neighbors nearby, walking out of their houses.

"Sorry," Sora muttered, and Tai repeated after her.

"Dinner's ready," Sora's mother told her. "You better finish up what you have going on here before it gets cold."

"Don't worry, Mom," said Sora, wiping her eyes with her hands, revealing tears she had been hiding from him this whole time. "I'm done here."

"Sora—" Tai said, believing that they were not done, but she turned to him, her eyes still watering.

"You were right, Tai, I _am_ working too hard. It's about time I go home and rest."

Tai couldn't have anticipated any of this from Sora, who turned to follow her mother without even saying goodnight to him. They walked away from each other once again leaving things unresolved, questions unanswered, and now, more questions raised in Tai's mind.

He couldn't have imagined her yelling, then shouting about their friends, and then crying… Seeing her in pain made him want to hold her in his arms, kiss her forehead, maybe even start swaying to calm her down. She would call him silly, but he knew she wouldn't think it was silly at all.

He brushed those thoughts away as he remembered his promise to call Mimi.

"Took you long enough," said Mimi over the phone as soon as Tai reached his room and landed on his bed, his mind still jumbled.

"I got sidetracked," he said, referring to the whole night, but only mentioning the short walk back to his house with his mom and sister. "Kari and her chatterbox tendencies."

"Well, luckily for you, I've got a lot to talk about, too!"

Tai never questioned how Mimi got to go overseas in the middle of the school year, or how she was so chatty at such an early hour where she was. He tried, through his chaotic mind, listening to Mimi tell her stories of her day in Times Square, about the boat ride her father took her on, the shops she went into with her mother more than once, the funny people she ran into.

"He was so crazy, Tai, he had me dying! I was crying from laughing so hard."

"That's so funny, Meems," said Tai, thinking back to Sora wiping her eyes from laughing at him, and then wiping her tears from her sadness later on.

"What is it, Tai?" Mimi asked suddenly. "You sound distracted. Are you okay?"

It was the drive home. It was the argument outside in the street. It was the folder in his bag that he was going to leave in there for the night. It was the phone call he was on now.

"Mimi, I'm… I'm exhausted."

"…Well…" Mimi paused, and Tai wondered if she would be annoyed, but then he heard her sigh. "You did have that soccer match tonight. Midterms are coming up for us, too, right? You should rest tonight. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Tai was grateful for Mimi's understanding. She only echoed his words to Sora earlier that day. Maybe he truly needed to rest, to let his mind process his thoughts, to sleep away whatever confusion and doubt, and to hopefully make sense of his feelings by the time he woke up the next morning.

* * *

.

.

.

.

 **Author's Note** : This part was originally thought to be the latter half of the last chapter, but as you can see, the parts ended up being long enough to become two full-blown chapters, and I suppose Tai is lucky to get his own chapter.

Thank you for reading! And shout out to **Portgas D. Potter** , thanks for your smiley face. I smiley face back. :)


	11. mimi & tai

**\+ slow dance +**

 **\+ chapter eleven +**

 **\+ mimi + tai +**

* * *

 _ **Summary:**_ _Mimi changes her perception after forgetting something at home. Tai wonders if his had already changed after he leaves hers._

* * *

 **\+ Mimi +**

When Mimi returned from America, things were just as she left them. Her classmates welcomed her back, and she discussed make-up assignments with her teacher with no issues. The guys greeted her with a smile or a wave, and the girls flocked to her desk to share the latest gossip.

Tai told her he was going to be busy, to her disappointment, but that didn't stop him from kissing her hello at his locker that morning, a kiss that nearly left her breathless.

"Mmm, you did miss me," she told him with the giggle she was able to muster.

As he flashed his smile at her and walked away, her attention drew to Sora, who approached her locker with no expression. Mimi ran to her, hugging her tightly and planting a kiss on her cheek.

"I won't ever leave you again, Sora," she told her.

"Mimi…" Sora hugged her back. There was a sadness in her voice, and the way she held her…

"Sora?" Mimi pulled away, cupping Sora's face in her hands. "What happened while I was gone?"

"Nothing, just a lot of busy work."

"Oh, no." Mimi pouted as she looked at Sora's wary expression. Perhaps she was just saying that to avoid talking about Matt, or about her trouble with dating lately. Either that, or she must have been exhausted, just like…

"It must be that time for you third years," Mimi said.

"Yeah," Sora said. "That must be it." They let go of each other, and they started walking down the hallway, Mimi's elbow linked with hers.

"I'm always a phone call away, you know," said Mimi. "I can blow off the boy sometimes, too."

"I highly doubt that," Sora replied, and Mimi scowled.

"Are you saying I would drop everything and flake on you when a boy wants to hang out?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying, Mimi."

Mimi whined, but it made Sora laugh. It assured her, knowing that their normal interactions meant there were no reservations between them. They went into the bathroom together, and when Mimi checked her bag for lipstick, she was shocked to come up empty.

"What's up?" Sora asked when Mimi groaned.

"I forgot my lipstick at home. I switched bags again. I must have left it out from this one."

Sora looked at her for a while, as though she was thinking. Then, she dug into her bag and took out a half-empty tube of lip gloss with a pretty shade of pink.

"You can have this. It's got just the right amount of color and shine."

Mimi was relieved. "You're a godsend, Sora! I'll give it back before I meet T—"

Sora put the gloss in Mimi's hands. "No, Mimi. You can have this. I don't want it anymore."

"What?! But it's such a gorgeous color on you."

"It'll look great on you, too, Mimi. Besides, I need a change. And, you can't have too many colors, right?"

The bell sounded overhead, and Sora gave her a smile, then left Mimi alone in the bathroom, staring sadly at the lip gloss in her hand that Sora intently wanted to give away.

But the moment Mimi twisted the cap and the applicator touched her lips, she immediately understood why. As she breathed in the sweet, tart strawberry scent, she realized that Sora hid something from her, and that something, in fact, did happen while she was gone.

Mimi walked out of the bathroom, finding Sora waiting for her. Mimi looked away from her and straight ahead, not wanting to show her unsettled expression.

"Maybe we should hang out later, Mimi," Sora said, but Mimi stopped herself from snapping at her. She whirled around to Sora, flipping her hair back, rubbing her lips together, though the taste made her want to scream.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Mimi said, fully aware that her tone shifted to ice. "You know me, I'll just bail on you for a boy, anyway."

She walked away from Sora, no longer worrying about the uneasy look on Sora's face. _The boy_. Mimi didn't mention him by name for her sake, but how long was that girl going to play this game of innocence? Who was she trying to fool?

Mimi couldn't wait to meet the boy after school.

* * *

"Don't you have to study, too, Mimi?" Tai asked her as she lay back against the couch, fashion magazine above her head. He sat on the floor against the couch in front of her.

"I'm taking a break," she said nonchalantly, finding the latest fashion trends obviously much more interesting than her history homework. When she heard Tai groan to himself, she dropped the magazine onto her side, turning to rest on her side to peer at the notebook in front of him from over his shoulder.

"Can you even read your own writing?" she asked.

"Maybe that's why this is so confusing," he said with a sigh.

"Aww, maybe you need a break, too." Mimi dropped from the couch to sit on the floor next to him, their faces already close. She brought his face forward for her to kiss, their lips pressing against each other, once, twice, and then…

Tai pulled away, suddenly pensive.

"Something the matter?" she asked, observing him carefully.

"Nothing," he replied. "I probably should keep concentrating."

"Maybe…" Her lips landed on his again. "On me."

She waited, as she kissed his lips again and again, to see how he would react. Was he going to stop her, grab his things and continue studying on his own at home? Or, did she captivate him enough to make him stay a while longer?

Mimi wanted to laugh at herself when his hand reached across her waist, and he leaned forward so he could kiss her more fervently. Of course, he wasn't going to leave.

Still, he pulled away a short time after, stopping her just as her hands reached his belt. He smiled as she frowned at him.

"Later, Mimi," he said, kissing her pouted lips before going back to staring endlessly at his notebook.

Sora's lip gloss was on her lips the whole time. Mimi expected his reaction, although, she worried it would have been much worse. Still, she rested against his shoulder, wanting to believe that outside of school, his concentration was on her, and her alone.

* * *

 **\+ Tai +**

Tai got as much homework and studying done as he wanted that afternoon. He surprised himself, getting it all done even with Mimi's distracting advances, which he eventually responded to after they left the couch and moved to her bed. She pounced when he finally let her unbuckle his belt, making her free to consume him in earnest. Mimi, his spritely little firework that never failed to leave him speechless, his body shuddering as she moved with ease.

"You're a bad influence," he said softly when she moved her face up to his, allowing for his lips to reach the nape of her neck, ready to sink his teeth in. He heard her gasp in his ear as he gently peppered kisses at her neck, while his fingers slid over her panties. Her eyes met his then and her hand placed on his, leading them underneath.

She giggled through the soft sighs that responded to his tease, which only tempted him to make her louder. As though she read his mind, she took him by the shoulders and pushed him back against her bed, removing her panties altogether as she fell onto his unbuttoned jeans. She thrust onto him and he followed with zeal, anticipating her moves to hear her cries intensify.

When she collapsed onto him, their sweat joining together and both of them gasping for air, she struggled to voice even a word.

"You… really… missed me…" she said through her panting. Tai collected himself through his deep breaths, savoring these moments of ecstasy with her. He responded by holding his arms around her, as she lay next to him against his chest.

"I missed you, too," she went on, in her breathy, dreamlike tone. "America was lonely without you."

"Was it, really?" he asked, looking down at her, her eyes closed and her lips curled into a smile.

"Mmhmm. We're not going back until next year. I can't wait for you to come with us."

Tai tilted his head. "Come with you?"

"Sure. I've already told my parents and they love the idea."

Tai sat up slowly, trying to find words to say. Mimi opened her eyes and sat up with him, watching him with concern.

"Do you not want to go?" she asked.

"It's… just so far into the future," was the first coherent thought he could say aloud.

"That's true." Mimi sighed, resting herself against him again. "A year is a long time. Anything could happen. I've got so much planned for us, too. Maybe a picture in front of the green statue that the tourists adore."

"Right…"

Soon after, Tai put on his clothes and gathered his things. He kissed Mimi goodbye, questioning whether his restlessness as he floated down from euphoria came from his new future plans or whatever Mimi had on her lips.

 _Anything could happen_. He had barely made a choice in what university he would go to in a mere couple months' time. He had no idea whether his team could qualify for regionals next month, or if he would bomb the midterm exams next week. He didn't know if Sora's mom would turn him away again tonight, just as she had done every other night since Sora stopped talking to him.

And Mimi…He had no idea why he couldn't say that he missed her, too.

Tai heard a loud whistle from outside his car that interrupted his train of thought. Maybe there was a festival going on that he ignored advertisements for. He looked out his window to see a bright light trailing along the night sky, which burst into a blast of colors with a loud pop. It was normally exciting for him to watch, not knowing what to expect from that little light, and he was always ready to be surprised by its array of shapes and colors, whether he loved or hated it in the end.

All Tai knew was that he was growing tired of fireworks, and that if there was a picture at that green statue next year, he certainly wasn't going to be in it.


	12. sora & mimi II

**\+ slow dance +**

 **\+ chapter twelve +**

 **\+ sora + mimi +**

* * *

 _ **Summary:**_ _Things start changing after midterms are over._

* * *

 **\+ sora +**

"Pencils down, everyone."

Sora let out a deep breath as she stared at the question on the last page of the exam. She wrote out all her answers and finished ten minutes before the test time lapsed, but she went through every question to make sure her writing at least looked correct.

She closed the booklet of questions and set her pencil down, signifying the end of the final day of the midterm exams. Looking around, she noticed her classmates appeared just as she felt by the end—worn and tired, but ecstatic that the exams were finally over. The bell rang, and everyone began to get up and turn in their booklets to Teacher's desk at the front.

"So, how did you do?"

Sora turned around as she stood up, seeing Tai standing behind her. She thought to turn and walk away like she normally did since that night. Her mind was too muddled from all that studying.

But when she noticed him smile through his apparent exhaustion, even after knowing he would probably say something about his fried brain, she decided it was okay to chat. Just this once.

"I think I did okay," she said with a cautious nod. "You?"

"I hope I didn't do too badly," he said, sitting against the top of the desk behind her. "My brain is so fried, though. I studied so m—What?"

Tai looked at her quizzically as she laughed.

"Nothing, Tai."

He frowned at her. "You would be proud knowing how much I studied."

"I'm sure I would be."

Sora's laughter faded as her eyes fell on Matt, whom she noticed walked passed them both. He darted a look toward them, not saying a word, then continued onward and out the door.

Then she heard a throat clearing, and she looked to see Teacher appeared before them, with a stack of booklets in her arms and a strict look on her face. After their apology, she and Tai handed her their booklets over, then headed toward the classroom door.

"Hey, Sora?" Tai said as she walked out into the hallway first. She turned to see him stopped at the wall next to the doorway, no longer frowning, but he looked thoughtful. It made her nervous, not knowing what he was going to say next.

"What is it?" she asked.

"About what you said, the other night. About losing everyone."

She walked closer to him to listen.

"I don't know what happened between you and Matt," he said, "but I'm sure he'll come around. And Mimi's a big girl, so she can handle whatever you throw at her, even if she gets overdramatic. You're not going to lose anyone that cares a lot about you. I just don't see that happening."

Sora hung on to his words, treading even closer, already feeling a flutter as soon as she gambled to ask her next question:

"What about you, Tai?"

"Me? What about me?"

"You remember what I said. I mentioned you, too."

She watched him closely as his stare met hers, and she yearned to know what he was thinking. Tai was getting closer to her, she realized, and his eyes looked on, as though they searched her own eyes, her face, her lips…

"You won't lose me, Sora," he said quietly, his eyes up to meet her gaze again. He said it so gently, but with enough conviction for her to believe it, enough for her to notice her heart stopping, and that feeling of fluttering wildly within her.

 _Buzz_. Tai took out his phone to look, causing Sora to blink into a familiar realization, that she needed to step away from him, and that it was wrong for her to feel anything for him.

"I better get going," she said. "You shouldn't keep her waiting."

With that, she turned and walked on without waiting for a response from him, tears falling from her eyes once again.

* * *

 **\+ mimi +**

Mimi tapped her foot in the kitchen, hands on her hips as she waited for Tai to show up at her door. He was running late, and she was especially anxious today. Now that they both had midterm exams out of the way, she knew he would have more time open for her.

The smell of baking croissants filled the kitchen. She made them plain this time, and decided against any filling—she was sure he would get over it. It was part of her surprise for him for getting through this week after seeing him study so hard. She planned for them to have dinner, watch a movie, then maybe make out and then convince him to stay the night.

When he showed up, she leapt onto him for a kiss at the door. He kissed back in reply, and as she pulled away from him, she immediately noticed the absence of his backpack, and even, better yet, his phone.

"Where are your things?" she asked.

"I left them in the car," he said. His hands in his jean pockets, his shoulders tense, the look of caution on his face. "Listen, Mimi… we need to talk."

Mimi froze, staring at him. It was as though a hand reached her heart, ready to close in. "I'm listening," she said, closing the door behind him as he walked in. He didn't bend down and his shoes were kept on. "I have the oven on. Can we talk in the kitchen?"

"I won't be long," he replied, not looking at her. The hand on her heart closed itself, but maybe she was imagining this.

"Don't be silly," she said with a nervous laugh, holding out her arms to reach around his waist. "You always like to stay awhile."

He turned away for her to miss him completely, and her smile wore away.

"I'm ending this, Mimi," he said.

Mimi felt her heart being gripped on.

"…What…?" she asked, breathless and holding her hand against her chest. "You don't mean that, right…?"

Tai shook his head. "This time, I do."

With the crushing feeling at her heart, Mimi felt herself trying to collect her breath, tightening her hold on her chest and finding a place to sit. She tried to comprehend the words that came out of his mouth, that even after midterms there were still the entrance exams, and qualifying for soccer regionals, and thinking about his future—

She couldn't see why any of those meant breaking up with her.

"Mimi, please understand…"

"I don't!" She got up, fists clenched at her sides. "I don't understand! I thought we were good together! All that time we spent together, all that fooling around—" she paused, glaring as she realized. "It was that, wasn't it? The sex?! Was that all you were in it for?"

" _No,_ Mimi!" Tai said, putting his hand on his forehead. "That wasn't all!"

"Then why?!" she walked up to him, still fuming.

"Mimi, I don't… I can't go on that trip next year."

Mimi blinked, standing up straight and loosening her hands. "What, you mean New York?"

"I'm not going."

"Oh… Is that what this is all about?" Mimi's face was shining with tears and her voice quivered, but a glimmer of hope sparked within her. "Then, maybe we can figure out something else, maybe go on another trip, maybe stay local or something—"

"That's not what I meant, Mimi!" Tai ran his hands through his hair as he sighed. "I don't see myself being with you in the long run."

"But…" Mimi walked up to him now, putting her hands on his shoulders for him to face her. He was just confused, right? He just didn't realize then… "You're just stressed right now…" she said in a frenzy, feeling warm tears escaping her lids. "With all those things you mentioned… Maybe you just need time away from me while you figure us out…"

Tai took her hands she tried to reach his cheek with, and set them down gently. His nonsensical pained expression showed how sad he was, but Mimi looked at him with disbelief at his certainty.

"I really like you, Mimi," he said, "But the way you want us to be, it's too fast for me. I don't think you have it in you to slow down."

"You don't know what you're talking about, Tai…" She held onto him in an embrace, her tears still flowing freely. He stayed silent, and she felt him put his arms around her, and then felt him leading her in a sway. _A slow dance… that's what he meant_ , she thought _. He really_ was _stressed, and he needed to calm down._ He moved them slowly, cradling her in his arms in his own embrace.

But when he stopped, Mimi felt his lips press against her hair on top of her head.

"Goodbye, Mimi," he said. Quietly, he pulled away from her, turning away and going out the door, closing the door behind him. She had a foolish idea that maybe, his dance that moment was his way of calming her down.

She moved to stand against the door, resting her hands and her forehead against it. The tears kept streaming down, and as she heard his car door closing, the engine roaring then its humming fading away, she still believed that those unwanted words he said held no truth within them.

The oven timer beeped. She didn't have it in her to rush back to the kitchen turn it off, only to drag her feet into the kitchen to find the croissants overdone, their tops darkened and burnt. If only… if only she added the strawberry filling in, and left the oven be until flames and black smoke filled the kitchen.

He was going to come back, she thought, wiping the tears that still streamed. She would text him lots and he would respond, even if it was after a while. He would see her at school the next day, apologize and kiss her and tell her he loved her, just like she was planning to tell him tonight.

And if he didn't love her, there had to be a way for her to change his mind. She was sure of it.

* * *

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **Author Note:** Mimichi fans and Mimi fans, I hope we can still be friends. Until next chapter, I'll be hiding, munching on some Pocky. On that note, please feel free to check out my one-shot Taiora, "Hana Yori Pocky". Thanks for reading! *runs*


	13. tai & mimi

**\+ slow dance +**

 **\+ chapter thirteen +**

 **\+ tai + mimi +**

* * *

 _ **summary**_ _: the tears run dry by the time it reaches the sun, whi_ _ch tries to shine its light in search of its connecting heart._

* * *

 **\+ tai +**

One week later, the soccer team qualified for regionals, and Tai was ecstatic.

He made another one of his valiant dives on defense, preventing the opposing team from scoring any more points at the last second. His teammates gathered around to carry him above them in festivity, cheering for their best team captain. Coach sprayed water all over them, calling for a celebration at the shabu shabu restaurant downtown. The whole team didn't refuse, and they all made sure to wash up before heading over, including Tai, who took an especially long look in the mirror for any missed scrapes on his face.

All eyes were on him at school the next day. The guys greeted him with pats of congratulations and well-wishes, and the girls paid more attention to him than they had the past couple of months, some of them giggling and waving as they saw him, some blushing when they caught his gaze.

Tai indulged in every moment. He had already been getting this re-discovered attention after breaking up with Mimi, whose unread message count continued to increase on his phone. Guilt lingered in the back of his mind, but he felt relief in not having the need to see her all the time.

A hand slipped against his as he stood at his locker. It was a girl, attractive to say the least, who he recognized from the girls' soccer club. She smiled slyly as she pressed her palm against his with a piece of paper, letting him take hold as she brushed her fingers against him.

"Call me," she said in her suggestive tone before walking away.

He smiled back, but something felt off. It wasn't Mimi's grip on his arm in this type of situation that he had adjusted to these past couple of months.

It was that he almost expected his high and mighty attitude to be brought down at that moment, with some witty, sarcastic remark he would hear that tempted him to answer back. Regardless, he turned to his side, feeling a void when he saw for sure that no one else was there.

Reaching the end of the hall, he noticed something else grabbing everyone's attention. Midterm grades were just posted on the bulletin board, and he gulped as he watched a mix of reactions from the other students, the worst of them screaming and crying.

When he weaved his way through the crowd of students, he searched for the page for his class on the wall, and then for his name in the rankings.

83%. Top half of the list. _Thank goodness._

"You did very well, Taichi," he heard Teacher say, slapping her hand onto his shoulder when she stood next to him. "Keep it up."

When she left his side, he heard within earshot chatter about the top five rankings.

"Look at how close their score was!"

Looking toward the top of the list, Tai saw Sora's name sitting at the fourth ranking with 92%, right underneath the student with the score of 93%. She never ceased to amaze him.

But he didn't get the chance to tell her that. He saw her in class the whole day, but, especially after their last encounter, she returned to her lightning speed exits before he could flatten his feet on the floor to stand from his desk.

He could never catch her, either, even with his extra effort. When he stopped by the drama club room after school, the girls pointed him to the tennis court. From there, the tennis girls directed him to the library. The librarian hadn't seen Sora in a few weeks, although, she speculated that the drama club called her for last minute changes again.

"Oh, you again, Tai?" said one of the drama club girls. "You just missed her; she went home about a half an hour ago."

And when he knocked on her door, Mrs. Takenouchi appeared.

"She doesn't want to talk to you," she said crossly, and Tai felt defeated.

* * *

"So, you finally have time to hang out now," Joe told Tai at the diner. In their booth, Tai sat across from Joe and Matt who sat next to him.

"I don't even know why I'm here," said Matt, who Tai could tell was irritated.

"I'm really glad you both could meet with me today," said Tai. "It really has been a while."

"I wonder why," Joe said dryly. "I suppose since things are settling down, at least, after your midterms are out of the way."

"Did Mimi give you permission to go out today?" Matt retorted, and Tai shot him a look.

"Very funny, Matt," he replied. "Actually…"

Both Matt and Joe's eyes widened slightly as soon as he told them about what happened.

"What… you… You did _WHAT?!_ " The emphasis on Joe's last word caused everyone in the restaurant to turn in their direction. Matt showed no reaction, though his eyes peered over to Joe without moving his head.

"Whoa, take it down a notch, Joe," said Tai, taken aback. "It's not like you were so keen on me going out with her, anyway."

"But…you broke it off. How did she take it?"

"She thought I wasn't being serious, and—Hang on—"

Tai whipped out his phone after feeling it vibrate in his pocket.

"Let me see that," said Joe as he snatched the phone right out of his hands.

"Hey! Jo—"

Matt put his hand on Tai's chest to stop him from reaching over to Joe.

"Hundreds of unread texts, _eighty-seven_ missed calls and twenty voicemails?!" Joe exclaimed. "Tai, have you even seen her lately?"

"No, I haven't. It's kind of silly, sometimes I'm walking in an empty hallway, and I hear a noise and it scares me a little—like I'm waiting for her to jump out at me—"

He laughed until he noticed that Joe and Matt now exchanged cautious glances.

"What's up with those looks?" Tai asked with his smile fading. Tai took his phone back and put it on mute.

"You've been careless, Tai, the exact opposite of what I told you to be," said Joe. "Now look what you've done."

"I didn't expect this idiot to heed your warning, anyway, Joe," said Matt with his arms crossed, appearing miffed. "I mean, he did drop his house key in the school bathroom, of all places."

"What? How—" Tai confusedly stared at Matt, whose expression remained. Then, after a few moments, he sighed with exasperation. He sensed that Joe wasn't going to elaborate, and that Matt didn't even want to be there, much less give him any friendly advice.

"That wasn't why I asked you both to come here, anyway," said Tai, scratching the back of his head and feeling a little irritated.

"What was it? Are you finally interested in career advice?" Joe asked.

"Oh—" Tai was startled by his question—that was typically the reason why he asked to meet up with Joe. "No, not this time, Joe. I was just wondering if you either of you could tell me about what's been going on with Sora."

Now it was Joe's turn to silently cross his arms across his chest, a peeved expression formed on his face.

"Do you want to punch him, Joe?" Matt asked. "Or, do you want to hold him down when I do it?"

Joe pushed the bridge of his glasses further up his nose. "I have no preference. Perhaps we can take turns."

"Guys," said Tai, now appalled, and utterly confused.

"Joe, I think we should leave this clueless fool to his own devices," said Matt, standing up and exiting the booth. Joe stood up as well, and their daggered looks toward Tai made him sink further back against the cushion of his seat.

"Everybody knows, Tai—even Mimi," said Joe. "That girl has been in denial all this time. And you? You really are a clueless fool."

Tai slouched into his seat, listening to Joe and Matt go back and forth about not believing 'what those girls see in him'. Tai's mind remained on 'That girl'. Did Joe mean Mimi, who expected him to stay the night at her house, even after he dumped her? But wait, did he mean—

"I thought there were three of you today?" asked the waitress. Tai sat up, snapping out of his thoughts. He looked at the waitress, flashing a nervous grin.

"It's just me now," he said. "And, since I'm here, I might as well order a plate of fries."

"It's been a while since I last saw you," she said, writing the order down. "You used to show up with her all the time, and she would make you order a second plate for eating everything off of the first. It was always funny to see her get so upset."

"Yeah, it was."

Tai thought back to those times. Most of the time it was just him and Sora, but there were a few times when Matt showed up, and even Mimi. He remembered the last time, when Sora got so upset that she threw a fry at his face, causing a fry attack between them. Matt covered his mouth to hide his laughter at the bits of fries and salt in Sora's hair afterward, and both Mimi and Sora laughed aloud at how Tai somehow got ketchup on his cheek. Sora lifted herself to reach across the table to wipe it off him with a napkin.

The smell of strawberries on her… He wished it was around him again, but it frustrated him more than ever now that it wasn't.

As the plate of fries were placed in front of him, the front door of the diner burst open, and in flew Kari.

"Tai!" she said, breathing heavily and catching her breath.

"Oh, hey," he said, grabbing a few fries to eat. "These are hot out of the fryer. You want some?"

"You eat them all anyway…" she said with deep breaths, collapsing onto the seat in front of him. "I've been trying to call you…I didn't know what else to do…I called Sora…Sora's mom called…the cops—"

Tai gulped the fries down. "The _cops_?"

"Mimi—she—we better get home, quick!"

* * *

 **\+ mimi +**

Mimi nearly ran into a couple walking hand-in-hand as she entered the main street. She passed by the bakeshop, where a guy held a pastry behind his back, then held it out in front of him to surprise his girlfriend before him. As she waited for the light to step onto the crosswalk, she heard the sound of lips smacking against each other, and saw a couple shamelessly making out right next to her.

The light signaled her to walk, and she moved along with the crowd, gripping her phone in her hand. It had been a week—a week too long since she last saw Tai, and she longed to be in his arms, and to do all those things those other couples were doing. A week was long enough for him to make clear his head about her. She thought to leave him another voicemail, but, no, she had just left him one before leaving her house, saying she was coming to meet him.

More things kept happening in front of her. A couple exchanged their anniversary gifts before the subway train slowed for pedestrians to enter. Another announced their love on the train, and that they just got engaged.

Mimi couldn't wait for all of that to happen to her.

Finally, she turned into the curbside and walked down the street. She knew where he lived; she passed his house all the time when she used to visit Sora.

Mimi quickened her pace passing by Sora's house, and when she reached the front of the Yagami residence, she knocked on the door.

"Are you home, Tai?" she called out, and there was no answer.

"Kari? Mrs. Yagami?"

It was dead silent, as though no one was home. He wasn't even answering any of her calls—could it be he was just ignoring her messages like he always did? She wasn't just going to leave, not when she was so close to being with him.

Mimi dug into her purse, and pulled out a key. It wasn't _that_ key—the one Tai lost that day—but it was a copy of her own. Inserting it into the door handle, she turned the knob and heard a click. Her heart swelled, and she opened the door, more than ready to join Tai in the paradise he wouldn't let her enter until now.

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 **Author Note:** Posting early today, my dear friends. This chapter's summary is out of the ordinary from its typical format, and that's because this site doesn't like me posting symbols-specifially, AO3's summary used arrows and implied which character was chasing which. I had the crest symbols in mind here.

There are three chapters left, guys... But I figured I'll tell you the song now. It's "(One of Those) Crazy Girls" by Paramore. Will add more notes on it at the end of the fic but this chapter has a few lyrical references, i.e. Mimi walking by all these couples (the "pink sky" lyric), visiting Tai, copying his key :)

I decided Joe and Matt needed another appearance, and I thought some light humor would be nice, before some, uh.. _ish_ goes down.

Thanks for reading!


	14. sora

_._

 _._

 _.I'm not. one of those crazy girls…_

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 **\+ slow dance +**

 **\+ chapter fourteen +**

 **\+ sora +**

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 _ **summary:**_ _Sora tries to help Mimi see reason, and Mimi fires back with the reason Sora should've had in the first place.._

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 **Author Note:** Adding a note here because reasons. I had to reupload because I posted a chapter to the wrong fic. I'm horrible. I'm terribly sorry. Ok, I'll get out of your hair now. Enjoy xx

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"Just talk to him, Sora."

Sora lay on her stomach atop her bed, ignoring her mother's words with the open book held out in front of her. She heard Tai at the front door only moments ago as he faced wrathful words from her mother, who now stood with crossed arms at her opened bedroom door.

"I have nothing to say to him, Mom," she replied, unperturbed.

"I highly doubt that. I may not like that boy, but something is up if you're avoiding him for this long, and I don't think it's him."

Lifting her eyes from the book, Sora observed the discerning stare from her mother, knowing that any excuse relating to school at that point would be anything but convincing.

"I don't want to talk about it." It was the only excuse she was able to fall back on, but thankfully, her mother retired from the doorframe to leave her be.

Her eyes fell back onto the pages and silence remained for a while until another knock came from the front door. Sora looked up again, wondering why Tai's knocking this time were loud and aggressive. Why in the world was he being persistent?

Closing the book and rolling out of her bed, she walked over to the living room to give Tai an earful, only to find out, as her mother opened the door, that the younger Yagami stood before them.

"Hikari-chan?" her mother asked, but Kari ran and flung herself onto Sora, her eyes wide with terror.

"I don't know what to do, Sora!" she said in a quiet but squealing tone. "I called Tai, and my mom, and no one is answering! Even T.K. hasn't texted me back! I just saw her walk into the house and—"

"Whoa, whoa, Kari," Sora said, holding her shoulders to help Kari calm down.

"It's Mimi!" Kari cried. "I've been paying attention to how Tai has been talking about her since the breakup, and what T.K. heard from Matt about her, and it got me worried! And just now, I saw that Mimi got into the house, I know for sure Tai locked it this morning since I made him text me, so I didn't have to worry about him forgetting, and I don't know where Mimi got that key, we don't even keep a spare…"

Kari babbled on and on in her fluster. Sora heard about the breakup the day after it happened, but laid low at school ever since. She thought it was obvious that neither Matt nor Mimi would make any attempt to talk to her, but Tai... well, it was enough of an effort to run from him.

Still, Kari's continued chatter brought Sora brought back to the day she looked for that key with Tai. She remembered that he didn't find it in the boys' restroom, but Matt, somehow, did. She also remembered that Mimi showed up that afternoon, with that look of worry…

Something clicked in Sora's head, bringing her hand to hold her forehead as she sighed.

"Oh, Mimi, you really did it this time," Sora said aloud.

"Sora…?" Kari asked.

Sora then brought her hands to her sides, staring straight at Kari. "Go find Tai," she told her. "He's definitely not going to pick up his phone, especially when you know he's been avoiding any contact from her. I'd bet my yen that he went to the diner."

In a frenzy, Kari ran out the door, and Sora looked over to her mother, who muttered something about calling the police as she searched the living room for the telephone. With that, Sora turned to leave her house, closing the front door behind her.

As she approached, she already saw the front door to the Yagami residence had been left ajar. _Geez, Mimi, how much more reckless can you get?_ she thought to herself.

"Meems?" she called out, pushing the front door further in and entering the living room. Only silence answered back. To her right, the small darkened hallway was lit up by the light coming from Tai's bedroom. She avoided even looking toward that direction the last time she visited Kari, but she could never avoid the memory from over a year ago that made her feel warm and numb at the same time. No one else was home, as she remembered—only her and Tai, who held her hand tightly as he led her in the direction she was looking towards now.

The sound of something being knocked over flashed Sora back to the present. It came from Tai's bedroom, where she hesitated to go, but she knew Mimi was in there, and she had to talk to her and reason with her.

As soon as she put her first foot in front of her, Mimi appeared at Tai's doorway and gasped in surprise at the sight of Sora.

"Sora…" Mimi said, holding her arms crossing at her chest, over the large hooded jacket she was wearing that Sora knew belonged to Tai. "I was just waiting for Tai to come home."

"Mimi… get a hold of yourself," Sora said with concern as she approached Mimi, who looked slightly frightened herself. Sora put her hands over Mimi's. "You _know_ this is wrong. Take the jacket off and let's get out of here, okay?"

Mimi tilted her head, now looking curiously at her.

"…Why is this wrong, Sora?" Mimi asked.

Sora furrowed her brows as Mimi pulled away from her grasp. She was already feeling tense.

"I'm the one wearing his jacket," Mimi continued, walking toward Sora. "Is it wrong because you're jealous of me?"

"Mimi!" Sora took a step back, aghast. "That is _not_ what this is about! Don't you dare turn this on me; this has nothing to do with me!"

"This has _everything_ to do with you!" Mimi shouted, looking hurt as she walked herself forward, forcing Sora backwards through the walkway and into the living room. "You've been lying to me all this time, Sora! Lying about your feelings for him! I could barely talk to you about the new boy I was in love with, _because I knew you were still in love with him!_ "

They stopped, and Sora widened her eyes, at a loss for words as Mimi's tears fell.

"And what's worse…" Mimi continued, her voice breaking as she clutched at Tai's jacket around her chest, dropping to her knees onto the ground. "…is knowing he's been in love with you, too, all this time…"

"That's not true, Mimi…" Sora said, feeling herself shaking. "That can't be, he could never…"

"How could you not see it?!" Mimi shrieked. "The way he looks at you! And how he always talks about how amazing you are, even when you're standing right in front of him! He never, _ever_ talked about me like that…"

"No, Mimi, no way—"

" _Enough_ , Sora!" Mimi was now sobbing. "You told me to get ahold of myself—well, take a good look in the mirror! At least I'm not masking my feelings for one boy and ruining friendships with the others!"

"Mimi…" Sora dropped to her bottom onto the floor in shock, tears now rolling down her cheeks. "You knew…?"

"You can't hide anything from me, Sora," she said, her voice now unwavering as she wiped away her own tears. "I know more than you think I do. I even know that you lied to me about your first time, and that it wasn't the soccer captain from the school across town."

Sora gasped, and her memory continued from where it left off. Tai brought her to his room, closing the door and locking it behind him. To hide her nerves, Sora commented about his messy room which was littered with his clothes and his games. Tai mocked her as he cleared his bed, apologizing that the moment wouldn't be as special as everyone made it out to be.

" _It wouldn't matter either way," she replied as she pushed him onto his bed, "No one else but us will know that this happened."_

" _Okay, one, what if I landed on one of my controllers?" he asked, smiling at her from where he lay with a slight scorn._

" _That's on you, dearest Taichi." She laughed at him and leaped onto the bed next to him, drawing her attention to his untidy hair, taking her fingers to it. It surprised her, at how soft and fluffy it felt._

" _And two," he said, their faces drawing nearer. "What if it did matter, darling Sora?"_

 _His eyes locked onto hers, and their noses touched at the tips. He was still smiling, but she felt his heart pound alongside hers, and she could feel him trembling at her touch._

" _Don't let it," she said, ignoring her heart fluttering as their lips met, and his arms tightening his hold around her waist._

"I guess you have a thing for soccer captains," Mimi said with her hard stare.

"It wasn't supposed to matter…" said Sora, breathless from the shocking realization.

"Well, it doesn't matter anymore, anyway."

Sora watched Mimi stand up, lifting her hair out from inside the jacket, her eyes narrowing.

"You're too late, Sora. I'm so sick of you holding back how you really feel. Aren't you glad with what good it did for me?"

"No, Mimi…" Sora stood up too, her voice trembling but no longer in fear. Her fists clenched at her sides. "I'm not glad. I'm not glad at all. I'm so angry at myself for hurting myself all this time. Hurting my friends in the process, especially you… But it's over for you and Tai, and you know it! He broke up with you! He has no intention of getting back together!"

"Stop it, Sora!" Mimi yelled, her hands grasping her hair from underneath. "I _know_ him! He has no idea what he's doing, and he always says things he doesn't mean!"

" _Cheer up, Sora…"_ Sora remembered Tai telling her that night. " _We guys have no idea what they want in a relationship, anyway."_

"Mimi, give it up…" Sora said, now pleading. She unclenched her fists, her shoulders now slumped. "This is Sora, your best friend talking… You've taken this far enough… Please, stop wasting all this energy over a boy who already made his mind up about you! I know him, too…"

Mimi's face immediately turned into fury, and Sora knew that she shouldn't have said the last sentence to set her off.

"I'm going to change his mind, whether you like it or not!" Mimi shouted.

"…Mimi, where are you going?" Sora followed Mimi who darted toward the kitchen, desperately searching the counters and drawers.

"Don't you dare get any closer," said Mimi, her voice now down to a normal tone, though darker, and her eyes intimidating. She had stopped searching, and now held up a small knife, its sharp edge pointed right at Sora. Sora's eyes grew wider once again, horrified at how bad the situation turned out.

"Put the knife down, Mimi," Sora said calmly, trying hard to hide her shakiness as she slowly stepped her way closer.

"If I can't have him, no one can…" Mimi's eyes were full of rage and fear all at once.

"Mimi _, put the knife down!"_

Sora already knew, she had been in love with Tai all along. She ran away from this fact, away from her own feelings, away from Tai himself. She even ran from Mimi, who fell in love with the same boy. But as Mimi kept her stance, Sora knew it was time to stop running, because going any further would make her lose the friend she loved the most. Tears blurring her eyes, Sora held her breath and ran forward, reaching to knock the knife away from Mimi's hand, but it was just as Mimi jumped toward her, still keeping her aim.

Sora fell on top of her, blood spilled, and Mimi let out a scream.


	15. mimi & tai & sora &

**\+ slow dance +**

 **\+ chapter fifteen +**

 **\+ mimi + tai + sora +**

 **and...**

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 _.Now I'm. one of those crazy girls..._

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 **\+ mimi +**

"Mimi…" Sora croaked.

Time slowed the next few moments as Sora lay still on top of Mimi. Mimi's heart pounded, and she heard herself wheezing with panic. She eyed the knife on the floor, its tip and surrounding tiles splattered with red.

"Sora… Sora…" Mimi teared up, frightened at Sora's silence. Was Sora still breathing? "What have I done…? God, Sora, say something…"

Mimi watched in bated breath when she saw Sora struggle to lift herself up off of her. Sora's tear-stained face changed as she surveyed all around Mimi—

"Geez, Mimi, your hand—"

Mimi looked over to her side where her hand lay outstretched. In her moment of darkness, she immediately remembered—Sora fought to pry the knife out of her hand as she called her name, and Mimi fought back. As Mimi aimed with her last throw, she heard Sora, her voice kind but her eyes imploring, which melted her anger away and brought her to loosen her grip. The knife missed stabbing either of them, but sliced at Mimi's palm, blood spilling from the large cut.

She was too shocked to feel any of the pain, too shocked to notice that Sora got up from her and ran toward the front door. Her vision was too blurred to see who she was talking to. She was so blinded by her desires, by her vengeance…

Sora returned to her side with towels, bandages, and some clear liquid with a strong scent. She pushed the jacket sleeve up Mimi's arm to keep any more blood from staining it, which, luckily, was very minimal.

"This might hurt, Meems…" she said, back in her calming tone, but even as Mimi yelped at the sting of the alcohol on her hand, her tears fell for a different reason.

"My best friend…" said Mimi, at a loss. "I pointed the knife… at my best friend…"

Her best friend, Sora, who used to roll her eyes at her when she fawned over any new crush, but stayed at her side as she wept when the crush went from lover to ex; Sora, who used to show up at her door to ditch all her club activities to invite her shopping; Sora, who used to surprise her in the hallway from time to time with a kiss on her cheek and a hug to show her affection for her.

Mimi still wanted all of those things with Sora, and she wept, fearing that her extreme behavior might have ruined what used to be.

"It's okay, Mimi." Sora's touch was careful and gentle as she cleaned Mimi's wound and wrapped the bandage around her hand. "We're both alive."

Mimi couldn't believe it.

"How are you so calm about this?!" she asked hysterically, feeling undeserving of Sora's kindness. "I could have killed you!"

"I knew you wouldn't, Mimi. I just, didn't realize how far you would go for him…"

She went so far.

"I felt so in love, I thought it would be a fun idea to surprise him when he came home one day," Mimi confessed, sniffling. "That's why I snuck his key away and made a copy. I didn't think he would break up with me so soon…"

"Oh, Mimi…" Sora held Mimi's bandaged hand in both of hers. There was no scolding or lecturing from her, just a look of sadness, pity, and maybe even sympathy.

"I know, I know… I got too carried away this time…" Mimi frowned at Sora. "When it comes to boys, I really can get a little crazy…"

Sora laughed, even as she teared up. "You're not the only one who should be saying that."

Mimi furrowed her brows, but joined in with her laughter as well.

"I love you, Sora," she said, resting her head on Sora's shoulder as her tears continued to leak.

"I love you, too, Mimi," Sora replied back, wrapping her arms around her. They sat on the kitchen floor for a while, hunched together in silence.

"Sora, Mimi."

Mimi looked over to see that Kari was now standing at the doorway. "The ambulance is here."

Mimi gasped. "Ambulance?!"

Sora squeezed her arm in comfort. "I did the best I could with that wound, Meems. It's probably best for them to make sure it doesn't get infected."

Soon, both Sora and Kari helped her get up, and Kari ran to Tai's room, where Mimi said she left her purse. When Kari returned, she held up the purse, and a tube of pretty pink lip gloss.

"This is yours, too, right?" Kari asked, and Mimi shook her head.

"No, I borrowed it," she replied, taking the tube from Kari. "That's Sora's."

Sora turned to her. "I gave that to you," she said, but Mimi gave her a look of understanding.

"And I'm giving it back. It looks so much better on you, anyway." Mimi enclosed the gloss into Sora's palm, and even as she felt the pain in her own heart, it was like holding onto a stolen one, then putting it back into its rightful place.

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 **\+ tai +**

Tai had been waiting anxiously outside of his house from the moment he arrived. Sora's mother was already standing outside, talking to a police officer, and he heard them talking about an ambulance arriving soon.

He ran toward the door, and for some reason, Kari stopped him.

"You wait here," she commanded, but he still followed her to the front door, where Sora appeared.

She stood there, frazzled. There was blood on her shirt, and she muttered something to Kari that they didn't let him hear.

"Wait—" he said as Sora disappeared inside, wanting to follow her.

"I told _you_ to wait, Tai," said Kari, disgruntled.

All it left him to do was pace back and forth along the curb, until the ambulance arrived, and Kari and Sora walked with Mimi towards it—why was she wearing his jacket? And why was her hand all bandaged up? Before he could even begin to walk toward them, the police officer stopped him, then proceeded to ask a series of questions about today's events he knew nothing about.

"Yes, sir, we have been friends for a few years," he replied. "We dated a few months, and I just broke up with her last week… No, I had no idea she was planning anything, I don't even know why… Kari, a little help?"

Tai felt a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll take it from here, Tai," said Sora. As Tai realized it was her standing next to him, he felt his head bubble with questions.

"Sora—are you—?"

"Later, Tai. Go talk to Mimi."

"Is she…"

"She's okay. Go talk to her."

Wishing he didn't have to put the questions on hold, he made for the ambulance, stopping at the rear doors, where Mimi settled onto a bed, her legs on the edge.

"Mimi… your hand…" Tai began, feeling concerned at first, but as he Mimi's antics, Joe's words, and Kari's hectic diner entrance, he grew more agitated. "What the hell happened?"

"I…" Mimi paused as she looked down at her hand bandaged hand, and then at his jacket she still wore, running her fingers of her uninjured hand down one string from the hood. "I just wanted to be with you…"

"Mimi…" Tai leaned against the side of the ambulance, ready to argue. He didn't want to go through the anxiety of telling her again. But her attention remained on the front of the jacket, where she brushed her fingers up and down along the zipper.

"I know, Tai. I know… that you don't love me."

He stared at her, realizing she said something he agreed with, and in a much calmer, more resigned tone than the last time he saw her.

"I'm sorry…"

"You should be." She looked up at him, with a look of longing and sadness that made him feel guilty all over again.

But it was then her lips slowly curved upward.

"We had fun though, didn't we?" she asked, her smile alluring, her eyes captivating. It only sparked him to smile back the same way.

"You can keep my jacket," he said, poking her where the jacket met her shoulder.

"I wasn't planning on giving it back," she replied with disbelief, making him chuckle.

Then, the paramedics motioned Tai to step away as they held the back doors, ready to close them.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Tai asked, and Mimi shook her head.

"Sora asked me the same thing. You don't need to worry about me, Tai."

Then Tai stepped away from the ambulance, and after one last glance shared between them, the ambulance door closed, and he watched as it revved up and drove away. Out of habit, he reached his pockets for his phone, but remembered Kari took it earlier, saying something about clearing out his messages. Looking around, he saw that his mom arrived and was now in deep conversation with Sora's. Kari appeared to bow in farewell to the police officer who started walking away, and Sora…

Sora stood alone on the curb, facing the direction the ambulance left them. Her back faced him, but he saw her arms crossed, and he couldn't gauge what she was thinking by the way she stood. He walked towards her, desperately wanting to talk to her. As he got closer, he reached his hand toward her shoulder, stopping and hesitating for a moment, but decided to keep going.

* * *

 **\+ sora +**

When Kari showed up at the front door, Sora took her hand and slipped in Mimi's copy of the house key into her palm. Tai was right behind Kari, but Sora spoke in a hushed voice out of his earshot.

"Don't let him see this," Sora said, and Kari looked at her in confusion. "He'll freak out if he found out what she did. Probably just as bad, if not worse than you did."

Kari seemed reluctant, but eventually nodded.

The officer appeared skeptical as Sora explained her side of the story. In their hasty meetup from the house to the ambulance, she, Kari and Mimi decided to tell the officer that Kari forgot to lock the door in the end, and that Mimi wanted to leave baking recipes that Kari had asked for. Sora joined her later, and found that Mimi's clumsiness got the best of her when she tried to hold the knife.

Everyone knew that Mimi never had unsteady hands, and Mimi would protest this any other day, but, for that moment, she was willing to accept it, since she knew Sora was willing to forgive her for her actions.

And Sora knew that she herself was willing to, but as she watched the ambulance zoom away, she couldn't shake her argument with Mimi from her mind, from the moment Mimi started yelling, to the moment the knife shot directly at her...

"Sora?"

She heard Tai's voice behind her, his hand on her shoulder. Normally, this was the point where she would try to walk away, where she would try to escape from his grasp.

This time, she turned to him, immediately latching onto him with her hands tugging at his shirt, her face slightly above, hidden against his chest.

"Tai…" she felt herself tremble the moment she whispered his name, and her tears began to flow again. The composure she held in front of Mimi, in front of the medics and the police officer was long gone, and her feelings of fear and sadness rushed back to her. Sora suspected Tai to be surprised at this reaction; she rarely cried in front of him, and never did she catch him in her embrace.

Perhaps he was surprised, although he only surprised her in return when she felt his arms surround her.

"It's okay if you don't want to talk," he said gently, his arms strong in his hold.

"I want to," she said, crying into his shirt. "I want to tell you everything. About what happened with Mimi. Why I stopped talking to you. How I really feel about you. I don't know where to start, there's just so much to say…"

"It'll be okay, Sora. No matter where you start, I want to hear about everything."

Sora stood with him silently, knowing she soaked his shirt with her tears, but the way he held her made her believe that he didn't care about that at all. Sora then remembered something that Mimi said as she was brought into the ambulance truck and placed onto her bed. She had whispered it into Sora's ear, that this all might have been too much for her, but then, she mentioned Tai's name, kissing Sora's cheek before they parted with each other.

"I heard you liked to slow dance," Sora said, now resting against his chest. "With all the things going on for the both of us, maybe we should do that together sometime."

Tai laughed. "I never thought you'd ask me to dance," he said. "I'll start us off now, if you want. Anything to make you feel better."

"You're so silly, Tai," she said.

He held her even more tightly, and he knew—even she knew herself—that she didn't think he was so silly at all.

* * *

 **and...**

After she checked into the emergency room, Mimi sat on her hospital bed, staring blankly at the curtains surrounding her. She heard a woman cry out in pain at a nearby bed, a child sob for his mother in another. She doubted either of them felt any pain as bad as the heartache she felt then.

She sighed, not noticing that someone had just slid the curtains open and closed, entering her space. Sure, she and Tai weren't meant to be in the end, but she wished the fire that died down in her heart would light up again someday.

"Mimi? You're Mimi, right?"

"Hmm?"

Mimi blinked and finally noticed him. He stared at her, his blue eyes piercing against his pale face and sleek, dark blue hair.

She couldn't stop staring back.

"I'm Ken, your nurse for today," he said.

"I'm Mimi," she said, and then he looked at her with confusion. Realizing what she did, she smiled and laughed to herself.

"I'll be taking care of you, so if you need anything, just ask."

"Okay," she said.

Ken disappeared behind the curtains, but Mimi noticed that before he left, he flashed a smile back-a smile that sparked something new within her. She knew that he would return to treat her wound, and she would tell him how gentle he is with his hands. She would tell him he has the prettiest eyes, and that she wanted to see him again.

She knew he would feel the same when he wrote his number on her bandage. And she knew, she would meet him again another day to have dinner, and they would talk about dancing, where he would tell her he never liked to slow dance. Then, she would get him to dance with her on the dance floor, and eventually, underneath her sheets.

And just like that, her heart set ablaze once again.

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 **.**

 **Author's Note:** I decided to be generous and post early, to ease your hearts after that cliffhanger. ;) I'll post the final chapter tomorrow evening.

So, yes... a little Ken x Mimi for your tastebuds. It's an ode to the fic titled "Crush" by Scripturiens, because of its immense effect on me as a budding author. Thank you again, Scripturiens! xx

And, if you've been counting from the other note, yes.. next chapter is the last. I debated whether to call it an "after story" because I almost ended the fic with this chapter. However, I just couldn't end the Taiora as I did here, so, I hope you look forward to boarding that ship next chapter. ;) Til next we meet! Thank you, thank you, thank you for reading!


	16. sora xx tai

**\+ final chapter +**

 **.**

 **\+ slow dance +**

 **\+ chapter sixteen +**

 **\+ sora x tai +**

* * *

 _ **summary**_ _: Tai and Sora begin their new relationship, and Tai finally realizes the true meaning of strawberries._

* * *

 **\+ sora +**

Sora stood at the front door of the Yagami residence, rapping her fist against it.

"Tai!" she yelled, already annoyed that she had been standing there for five minutes. The door opened soon after, and Kari appeared with a nervous smile.

"He woke up late again," she said, then hopped past Sora. "See you later!"

" _Taichi!"_ Sora said with increasing impatience. Walking to school quickly became out of the question, and she knew they would barely make it even if Tai drove.

"Almost ready!" she finally heard him say from inside, followed by some knocking and rushing footsteps along with him. When he appeared, he nearly collapsed in front of her but still stood, although with his hands on his bent knees as he panted.

"I should have just left without you," she told him crossly with her hands on her hips. "We're going to be late."

"I'm sorry, Sora," he said.

When he caught his breath, he straightened himself up and turned to close the front door. Sora couldn't help but watch closely as he locked the door with his key, which he dropped into his school bag after.

She followed him to his car in the driveway, and he stopped at the passenger side door to open it for her. She moved to climb in when he took her shoulder to stop her.

"Hang on," he said, and before she could ask what for, his lips were already on hers with his slow, soft kiss. He liked to catch her by surprise that way, she found out, whether it was when they were walking silently together, while she sat staring at her notes, or just to interrupt whatever she bantered with him about. And it worked every single time.

She kissed back with a smile, making him chuckle as he pulled away, but as the tingles floated along her skin, she was ready to pull him back.

"We're going to be late, Sora," he said with a smug smile. With that, Sora pushed him away with narrowed eyes and climbed into the car.

It was in this spot two weeks ago when she confessed everything to Tai. The day after Mimi was taken to the hospital, he planned to take her to the diner in the evening after their activities so they could talk it out, but she blurted out that she was in love with him just as he turned the key to the ignition. Her face went red as she talked about who else she dated, who she kissed, and unsurprisingly, he paused and stared at her in complete astonishment.

Then, he followed that pause with laughter.

"Was that what Kari was talking about?" he said through his laughs.

"Hmph, I shouldn't have told you," Sora replied, her face warm with embarrassment, and her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

"Sora, come on, you can't tell me it isn't funny looking back on it now."

She kept her eyes averted until she felt his hands take hold of hers, and she noticed him staring at her and pulling her closer to him.

"This would have happened a lot sooner if you told me, you know," he said, leading her hands to wrap around his neck. "Then you wouldn't have had to wait so long to kiss the real thing."

"Again, anyway," she added, his face dangerously close to hers, and his stare lingering down to her lips. She kissed him first, her patience lost, but he wasted no time breathing deep and kissing her back.

"Mmm… Yummy," he said in his low tone between kisses, but through her chills, Sora knew he said it in Kari's mimicry. The more they kissed, the more Sora was convinced that she was no longer dreaming.

* * *

Tai and Sora arrived in the parking lot with plenty of time to spare to walk to class.

"Always in such a hurry," he retorted as he opened the door for her. Sora made a face at him.

"Well, it at least gets you to be on time, doesn't it?" she asked. "You've always been terrible at waking up in the morning." She waited for him to put his car key in his bag so she could slip his hand into his when it was free.

"You are starting to sound like Teacher," he replied with a groan.

"You just make it so easy to scold you," she said, making him sigh loudly.

They walked down the hall toward their lockers, greeting their classmates along the way. The guys from the soccer club slapped hi-fives with Tai, and the girls from the drama club smiled at Sora, but quickly turned away to giggle with their hushed voices.

"Sora?!"

Sora halted her steps causing Tai to follow suit, recognizing the bubbly voice. Mimi appeared at Sora's side, wrapping her arms around her and planting a kiss on her cheek. From the first day back at school after their fiasco, Mimi kept her distance from Sora for a while, but still waved at her whenever she passed by. Then, one day, Mimi appeared at Sora's locker, her lips tight but looking as though she was about to burst. Sora let her talk, and that was when Mimi spilled about her new boyfriend.

Now, as Mimi held onto her, Sora let go of Tai's hand to hug her back warmly, then took hold of Mimi's hand, observing the healing scar on her palm.

"It's looking a lot better," Sora told her, rubbing it gently.

"Right?" Mimi replied. "I'm so glad I have Ken to make sure it didn't get worse. And you, too, Sora. Ken said I was lucky to have someone like you." Mimi held her again, and Sora saw her eyeing Tai. "You do realize that she's mine, right?

"I never had any doubt," Tai said, coolly, both he and Sora perceiving that Mimi was itching for some chatter. He gave Sora a kiss, and her eyes never left him as he went ahead toward the classroom.

"Ready to hear the details on that boy yet?" Mimi asked her with a knowing smile.

Sora blushed and lightly smacked her shoulder. But Mimi giggled and Sora joined in, both of them going to the side of Sora's locker to start their low chatter.

* * *

 **\+ tai +**

Tai hadn't told Sora that he loved her yet.

It didn't hit him just how much he did until she confessed to him in his car. And when she kissed him first, and with every kiss following, things started making sense.

They agreed to take things slow, at first. Even with entrance exams on top of each of their hectic schedules, they figured they would start by doing their usual hangout, just like they did before.

That's what they decided over the phone on Sunday night. But, on Monday, Sora ended up staying late with the drama club. Tai was too tired after soccer practice on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Tai went to Sora's tennis tournament match, which, to everyone's shock, she lost. She wore a sad smile after the game, but told him not to worry, and decided to go home afterward.

Tai was exhausted by Thursday at the end of the day, just as they both turned in the second quiz to Teacher that week, but that was when he and Sora were both free to finally hang out.

"Diner?" he asked her, and she nodded.

They walked together, both of them silent but their hands interlocked. He savored this peaceful silence, not wanting to think about carrying the soccer team to the next win, or about failing a mock entrance exam coming up.

But those worries kept swimming in his head, even as he sat across Sora at the diner booth. "Tai?" he might have heard her say, but he thought about needing to make the team do more running drills next practice.

" _Tai_."

"Huh?" he said, blinking to see a plate of fries set between them, and Sora watching him with concern, but already chewing on a few.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "You always take the first bite."

"Y-yeah," he said, then he sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Sora."

Sora looked down to her side where she set her bag, then appeared to start digging.

"Do you have any change?" she asked him.

"I think I do," he said, skeptical about it, although he still checked his pockets. He found a couple of yen, and placed it on the table next to the plate.

"I only need one," she said, taking one of the coins. She got up and headed toward the end of the diner walkway and stopped in front of the jukebox. He forgot that thing was even there—he never remembered a time where music played whenever he came to the diner. Tai leaned in his seat, watching her in curiosity as she stood for a while.

A few moments later, she inserted the coin, pushed a button, and music filled the diner, a steady beat with a soft melody. When she returned to the booth, she took his hand and pulled him up with her. It finally occurred to him what she was doing when she put his hands on her waist, and her arms around his neck.

"You didn't even ask this time," he said, smiling at her.

"You looked like you needed this," she replied.

He looked at her in awe, even though he should have expected her to be so perceptive. But he almost didn't expect her to look so troubled, with her eyes not meeting his. Then she sighed, and brought herself close to him, burying her face into his chest. He felt her trembling, and hearing her gentle sobs confirmed his worry.

Sora hadn't lost a tennis match all year.

"Sora… Did you need this too?"

She nodded, her face still hidden. He kissed the top of her hair, holding her closer, both of them swaying to the music in silence.

* * *

On Saturday afternoon, Tai woke up to an empty house. He was still getting used to his phone screen show unread messages in single digits again, but saw that one of two messages were from Kari:

" _Mom and I are having a mother-daughter day! I wanted to invite you, but, you know. We probably won't be back until late."_

The other message, of course, was from Sora:

" _I bet you're not even up yet, slacker."_ She sent the message seven hours earlier. _"I think I'll study for a bit today. Let me know if you want to do something later."_

Tai looked around the empty living room, observing the dead silence.

" _I've been up for a while,"_ he replied, knowing that she wouldn't believe it. _"Come over and we can study together. Maybe watch a movie, too."_

" _Are you sure?"_

" _I'm positive. Mom and Kari went out."_

" _Very well. I'll walk over soon. You just woke up, didn't you?"_

When Sora arrived, she arrived with her backpack and a stack of books in her arms.

"Geez, Sora," he said, taking the books off of her hands and setting them on the table. "We should have just studied at your place if you were going to carry your whole library."

"Ha, ha," was her reply. It amused him, whenever he made a stupid joke, but she offered no comeback.

"Wipe that smug look off of your face," she added.

They studied for a while, sitting next to each other at the coffee table. Tai looked in Sora's direction, seeing her in deep concentration as she read lined pages of her notes. Her face was hardened, her brown eyes bright and focused. He watched her sigh, and her face relaxing when she turned the page over, then picked up her pencil to write on it.

He wanted to watch her study all day. Suddenly curious, he set his notebook and pencil down and leaned closer to her to read the words she wrote. The closer he got, the stronger he sensed her familiar, sweet scent.

"Hmm," he went, his chin just over her shoulder. She jumped in fright as soon as she realized how close he was to her.

" _Taichi!_ " she said with exasperation as she hit his shoulder. "At least warn me when you're close like that!"

Tai laughed. "You just looked so focused. I was intrigued. Besides…" he leaned closer to her again. "I always liked that you smelled like strawberries."

Sora kept her eyes on her page of notes, but Tai noticed her cheeks turning pink.

"I'm… glad you like it," she said, moving her hand to tuck her hair behind her ear.

"You're bashful all of a sudden. Am I making you nervous?"

"N-no…" she stammered. "It's just… déjà vu…"

"You're not making any sense," he said, trying to meet her gaze and she kept turning her head to avoid his. "But you're being really cute."

"Tai!" Sora hid her face in her knees.

"Soraaaa…" Tai laughed a little, shaking her shoulder with his hand. "I'm so confused. Am I distracting you?"

"No, it's not that." She held her head up to meet his stare, her face now flushed with embarrassment.

"Am I too close, then?" he asked, and that was when she let out a laugh with less nerves and more confidence.

"Not close enough," she said, her eyes lit up as she stared, her scent more enticing than before. He heard her notebook fall onto the carpet as he moved closer until his lips made contact with hers.

He closed his eyes, feeling his lips slowly melting against hers each time they joined. She leaned her back against the edge of the couch as he leaned on her, and her hands snaked around his back, bringing him closer to her. He took in her sweet breath as they kissed, and he stopped the sides of his mouth from curling when her tongue playfully brushed against his. Chills prickled the back of his neck, wondering just how much she wanted to taste him.

Her next kiss was heavier than the last, and she pulled away in a tease as he moved to try to meet her again. She grabbed his attention with a stare that only intrigued him, and then realized her hands slowly moved up his chest from underneath his shirt.

They helped each other take their tops off, and Sora pushed herself against him, her bra pressed against his chest, and they held each other close, his eyes locked with hers, feeling her soft breath quickening in front of him.

"The books were a ruse," she said blatantly. "Mom watched me leave."

"Huh," said Tai, raising a brow. "To think… I really wanted to study. Maybe you're the real distraction around here."

"Baka," she said before stealing another kiss. She let out a soft sigh when he kissed back, and he melted with the way her hands combed through his scalp. "Never, ever, cut your hair," she added.

"Do you really like it that much?" he asked.

"I love it…"

She stared at him, waiting for his reply. He stared back, knowing exactly what she wanted to hear, but he only smiled with another kiss.

"At least let me trim it sometimes."

"Deal."

His eyes never left her stare as he held his palm to her cheek, lightly caressing her hair just behind her ear. She kept one hand playing with his hair, but her other was tracing his torso, just above his jeans. They said nothing else then, but he knew they were thinking exactly the same thing. When he stood up, he took her hand to help her up, then lead her from the living room, down the hallway toward his room.

He didn't think to tidy up his room before she came over. After he locked his door, he tossed his video game controller and a manga from his bed, and, as expected, listened to Sora reproach him about the clutter on his floor. But after she persuaded him to pick up and put things away, she pushed him to fall onto his back on his bed.

"Now _I'm_ feeling déjà vu," Tai said. Sora climbed onto the bed with a playful smile, then sat over his legs, with her knees bent. His heart might have already been beating fast with her, but it was only now he felt it thumping through his chest.

"Look…" Her smile faded, and she took his hand to hold up with hers, which was shaking.

"Are you nervous, Sora?"

"I am, Tai."

He brought her hand to his bare chest for her to feel his heartbeat. Sora let out a laugh.

"It's almost like our first time, isn't it?" she asked then. "It's not like we haven't done it with others since then, but, I'm just nervous, because it's you."

"Funny," he said, holding her at her waist. "I'm nervous… because it's you."

She made the first move, kissing him softly. When she pulled away, she looked down in front of him, her hand on his chest but gently trailing down to his pants, which she unbuttoned, and unzipped. Tai didn't know what to expect, but as she went down and relished him with her lips, he closed his eyes, his head falling back in ecstasy, his mind going blank, but feeling like she was leading in this challenge between them. He only thought, hungrily, how to get back at her.

She brought him to lay above her as she fell back onto his bed, and he moved down, pressing his lips just above her breastbone. Maybe, he thought, kissing her there, her shoulders, and her neck would help loosen the tension. Her hands dug into his hair again, and his hand trailed up her thighs.

"Go for it," she said into his ear, her voice already breathless, and his hand found its way into her panties. What came next from her were wordless sounds escaping her mouth, each one giving him a jolt as he felt her body shudder on him. He was tempted, then, as he eyed her head leaned to the side, baring the nape of her neck, her skin soft and tender. He was drawn to press his lips on her, biting down.

Her gasps only excited him, and he moved down, making her panties disappear with him, his mouth on her to taste her where his fingers slipped into. As her whimpers turned into moans, he thought a lot of things, including how badly this probably made her want to win, and how glad he was that no one else was home to hear them.

"Am I winning?" he asked, both of them panting when he crawled over her to face her again, and her brows furrowed as though in disagreement.

"Tied game," she said.

"… _Tai's_ game?"

Sora laughed. "Why do I even bother with you?"

"I know why."

He didn't say why, but he didn't feel the need to. She brought his head toward her for a kiss, and held onto his back as pushed himself into her, the further he rocked, the deeper her nails dug into his shoulders, the louder he heard his name. Her dance was different—sometimes she let him lead, sometimes she persuaded him to follow hers—but the way she moved with him was enough for him to call out her name in response.

The last time he did, he heaved a sigh, falling onto her, feeling her pounding heart fighting with his, her panted breathing slowing to a calmed state.

"You win, Sora…" he said, but she didn't respond. When he lifted up his head, he found that she fell asleep, her face calm and content. He wondered how long she was up that day, and how much she actually studied before seeing him. Then he rolled off from her, grabbing his blanket, putting it over them both to share, and held her as he watched her sleep for a while.

* * *

Tai sat against the headboard next to Sora, reading his manga when she woke.

"How long was I asleep?" she groggily asked.

"A few hours," he replied.

She sat up, wrapped in his blanket and nuzzled against him.

"I dreamt that we had sex."

Tai raised his eyebrows, and looked down at her.

"You dreamt it, huh?" he asked.

"I'm really embarrassed to say this… but it's been a recurring dream of mine."

Tai watched her interestedly as she rubbed her eyelids.

"So," he said, giving her a nudge. "How was it?"

He smiled as he watched her face turn pink again.

"I'm home early!" Tai heard all of a sudden. Tai registered Kari's voice, and how loud and long she said it. When he realized what was happening, he looked at Sora's face who was slowly matching his rising panic.

"Your shirt and my top are in the living room!" she squealed. They both jumped out of bed, putting their own pants back on. Tai threw his closet door open, listening to Sora curse at herself, and he grabbed any two shirts for him and Sora to wear.

By the time Kari knocked on his door, Tai was in front of it, Sora standing right behind him, holding onto his forearm. He unlocked the door and opened it, revealing Kari with a curious stare that slowly turned into a look of surprise, putting her hand over her mouth.

"I thought you didn't like bringing girls over, Tai," she said, as though hiding her excitement.

"Already with the questions," he said, his hand at the door and ready to close it.

" _Wait!_ You're not making Sora leave yet, are you? Aren't you going to stay, Sora? Please stay! I like it whenever you're here."

Tai looked over at Sora who gave Kari a nervous smile.

"By the way, here," added Kari, throwing Tai's shirt and Sora's top for Sora to catch. "I grabbed them before Mom noticed. She did wonder why there was so many books and things here. She couldn't believe you would be _that_ into studying, Tai."

Kari turned around and Tai closed his door again. Sora changed back into her top, and looked at the mirror to straighten out her slightly disheveled hair.

"I should go home, anyway," she said. "It's getting late."

When they left his room, Sora greeted his mom, although she declined the offer of staying for dinner. She hugged a frowning Kari, promising she'll come back another day.

"Maybe I'll study some more tonight," Sora said as Tai walked her home that evening, helping her carry the stack of books she brought with her.

"You've studied enough today," he told her. "I know you already studied a lot this morning."

"True… And I went over to your place, too. I bet all I did was distract you."

They stopped in front of her door, the porch light shining over them. Sora pushed the doorbell for her mom to open the door.

"You're the best kind of distraction, Sora."

Sora's mom opened the door, and Sora hid her reddened cheeks behind her books.

"I'm home," Sora mumbled.

"Welcome home, Sora," she said with a smile, which wore away when she turned to him. "Taichi."

"Good evening, Takenouchi-san," he said. "I'll just set her books down and be on my way."

"Very well," she replied stiffly, then turned back into the house.

Sora sighed, then told him to wait outside with the stack of books he carried as she put hers inside first. After she took his in and went back out, she returned to him with a scowl.

"I know, she hates me," Tai said, and Sora took his arms to pull him closer into her embrace.

"At least I don't," she replied, and she look up at him, her eyes with a twinkle of hope, as though she anticipated his next words.

"I know." He kissed her, and she kissed back, accepting his answer.

"Let's hang out tomorrow?" she asked. "Maybe we'll watch a movie this time."

"Sure. I'll just get some studying done before then," he said, and she narrowed her eyes at him again.

"Don't slack off."

"Don't study too hard."

With one more kiss, Sora bade him farewell with a smile, and he walked toward the curb as she closed the door. Her smile didn't fade from his mind as he headed home; her strawberry lips that tasted sweet with or without her lipgloss; her mouth that ranted and bickered with him about anything; everything that made him miss her as he walked further from her house.

He thought about how she loved his hair, and why he was drawn to strawberries, why she even bothered with him, why she was the only girl he ever invited over… why she was the best kind of distraction…

He didn't think about how much he liked her—no, of course, this was more than that… more than enough to turn around and walk back.

" _Open your window. I just realized something,"_ he texted Sora then. He walked back to her house, passing by the front door and turning the corner where the window to her bedroom faced. She pulled the blinds up just as he arrived. Confused, she slid her window open, the two of them face to face again.

"What is it, Tai?" she asked.

"Come here," he said. She looked behind her—he knew she was making sure her door was closed—and she leaned out of her window toward him. He waited until she was close enough for him to whisper it into her ear:

"I love you."

Sora looked at him in surprise. He looked back at her, searching her face, waiting for her to say something, and then—

"Two weeks, Tai?" she asked with incredulity. " _Two weeks?!_ I told you I loved you first, and you made me wait two weeks until you—"

He held her face with his hands and pressed his mouth against her before she continued. Her remaining words turned into a soft sigh as she kissed him back, putting her palms on his cheeks.

"Took you long enough," she grumbled, but when they embraced, he heard her giggle, and say softly, "I love you, too."

As he walked away, for some reason, he started wondering about the future. Will his team go to the championships, and will he even try to play at university? Where is he even going to attend? Will he even be accepted?

When Tai turned around, he saw Sora still leaning out her window, watching him with a smile. He couldn't resist and smiled back, knowing that whatever was going to happen, Sora was going to be there for him, just as he knew he will be for her—that was one thing he knew for sure, and it was enough to keep all of his worries at ease.

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 _ **\+ owari +**_

 _._

 _._

 _._

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* * *

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 **Author's Notes:**

Thank you so much for reading all the way to the end! :D Here are some ending tidbits for you.

On _"(One of Those) Crazy Girls"_ \- Paramore is one of my favorite artists. The fact that the song lyrics paint a picture of someone going through extremes just because of pure infatuation left such an impression on me when I first heard it. If you've heard of this song, or if you ever look it up, you'll notice how much I reference the song with Mimi's character in this fic. I also had the particular song on loop for most of the time writing this, so I can't not read this story over without hearing that song in my head.

For the record, I love Mimi, and I'm sorry that I made her "crazy". I just kind of pictured Mimi as the one who fit the most as such for my fic, even if her personality was a bit obsessive, and as reviewer _thekatxx_ put it, "over the top" (you were right on the money!).

I wanted Sora to do some "crazy" things too, but I tried not to describe her and Mimi's antics with that word until their scene in the kitchen, since it was a word in the song title that would have given it away, & because I thought it would be a fun challenge for me to refrain from using that word as much as possible.

The title is of course from the first line of the song, and I thought about the whole slow dance thing later on as I thought of the plot.

Hope you enjoyed reading as much as I did writing it! Glad I was able to share this with ya.

I guess I'll use this space to let y'all know that I do have another Taiora romance drama brewing. I've been itching to write a new one since this is over, but we'll see how that plays out. **_**edit - go read "Colors in Autumn"_**

Much love. xx


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